««H«mtin»niMmii»aiirMn 


UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

§ck*«l  of    Libracy 
8eie»e« 


"Thome  -    1  ^om  ^e  n 


J3S8 


268298 


Thorne-Thomsen 

East  o'   the   sun  and  west  o'   the  moon 


mi  > 


& 


w^i 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022093280 


L. 


This  BOOK  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 
ONLY,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  FIVE 
CENTS  a  day  thereafter.  It  is  DUE  on  the 
DAY   indicated   below: 


6      1967 


i  k  >-tH 


CT  2  3  1m 

)CT  21  R 


s    a   0    l3w* 


11  w\ 


OCT  1  2  197! 


j 


Form  No.    1685 


RE  CD 


ft.D  L       *£i*i 


\'i-^m 


-WHY    l,"     flW 


East  O'  the  Sun 

and 

West  O'  the  Moon 

with 

Other  Norwegian  Folk  Tales 

Retold  by 
G-udrun  Thorne-Thomsen 

University  of  Chicago 

illustrated  by- 
Frederick  Richardson 


Row,  Peterson  &  Company 

Evanston,  Illinois 

New   York  San   Francisco  Philadelphia 


Copyright,  1912 
ROW,  PETERSON  &  COMPANY 


J 

Foreword 

In  recent  years  there  has  been  a  wholesome  revival 
of  the  ancient  art  of  story-telling.  The  most  thoughtful, 
progressive  educators  have  come  to  recognize  the  culture 
value  of  folk  and  fairy  stories,  fables  and  legends,  not 
only  as  means  of  fostering  and  directing  the  power  of 
the  child's  imagination,  but  as  a  basis  for  literary  inter- 
pretation and  appreciation  throughout  life. 

This  condition  has  given  rise  to  a  demand  for  the  best 
material  in  each  of  these  several  lines.  Some  editors 
have  gleaned  from  one  field;  some  from  several.  It  is 
the  aim  of  this  little  book  to  bring  together  only  the  very 
best  from  the  rich  stores  of  Norwegian  folk-lore.  All 
these  stories  have  been  told  many  times  by  the  editor  to 
varied  audiences  of  children  and  to  those  who  are  ' '  older 
grown."  Each  has  proved  its  power  to  make  the  uni- 
versal appeal. 

In  preparing  the  stories  for  publication,  the  aim  has 
been  to  preserve,  as  much  as  possible,  in  vocabulary  and 
idiom,  the  original  folk-lore  language,  and  to  retain  the 
conversational  style  of  the  teller  of  tales,  in  order  that 
the  sympathetic  young  reader  may,  in  greater  or  less 
degree,  be  translated  into  the  atmosphere  of  the  old-time 
K  story -hour. 
.  Gudrun"  Thorne-Thomsen. 


Contents 

East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon 9 

The-  Three  Billy  Goats  Gruff 25 

Taper  Tom    29 

Why  the  Bear  is  Stumpy-Tailed 43 

Reynard  and  the  Cock 45 

Bruin  and  Reynard  Partners 49 

Boots  and  His  Brothers 51 

The  Lad  Who  Went  to  the  North  Wind 63 

The  Giant  Who  Had  No  Heart  in  His  Body 71 

The  Sheep  and  the  Pig  Who  Set  Up  Housekeeping  87 

The  Parson  and  the  Clerk 95 

Father  Bruin  99 

The    Pancake    • 105 

Why-the  Sea  is  Salt 113 

The  Squire's  Bride   125 

Peik   131 

The  Princess  Who  Could  Not  Be  Silenced 147 

The  -Twelve  Wild  Ducks 155 

Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside    169 

The  Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill 179 

The  Husband  Who  Was  to  Mind  the  House 199 

Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 205 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/eastosunwestomooasbj 


aHI 


"Are  vou  afraid?" 


East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o' 
the  Moon 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  wood- 
cutter who  had  so  many  children  that 
he  had  not  much  of  either  food  or  cloth- 
ing to  give  them.  Pretty  children  they  all 
were,  but  the  prettiest  was  the  youngest 
daughter,  who  was  so  lovely  there  was  no  end 
to  her  loveliness. 

It  was  on  a  Thursday  evening  late  in  the  fall 
of  the  year.  The  weather  was  wild  and  rough 
outside,  and  it  was  cruelly  dark.  The  rain  fell 
and  the  wind  blew  till  the  walls  of  the  cottage 
shook.  There  they  all  sat  round  the  fire  busy 
with  this  thing  and  that.  Just  then,  all  at 
once,  something  gave  three  taps  at  the  win- 
dow pane.  Then  the  father  went  out  to  see 
what  was  the  matter,  and,  when  he  got  out  of 
doors,  what  should  he  see  but  a  great  White 
Bear. 

"Good  evening  to  you!"  said  the  White 
Bear. 

9 


10  East  o}  the  Sun  and 

' '  The  same  to  you, ' '  said  the  man. 

"Will  you  give  me  your  youngest  daughter? 
If  you  will,  I'll  make  you  as  rich  as  you  are 
now  poor,"  said  the  Bear. 

Well,  the  man  would  not  be  at  all  sorry  to 
be  so  rich; — but  give  him  his  prettiest  lassie, 
no,  that  he  couldn't  do,  so  he  said  "No"  out- 
right and  closed  the  door  both  tight  and  well. 
But  the  Bear  called  out,  "I'll  give  you  time  to 
think;  next  Thursday  night  I'll  come  for  your 
answer. ' ' 

Now,  the  lassie  had  heard  every  word  that 
the  Bear  had  said,  and  before  the  next  Thurs- 
day evening  came,  she  had  washed  and 
mended  her  rags,  made  herself  as  neat  as  she 
could,  and  was  ready  to  start.  I  can't  say  her 
packing  gave  her  much  trouble. 

Next  Thursday  evening  came  the  White 
Bear  to  fetch  her,  and  she  got  upon  his  back 
with  her  bundle,  and  off  they  went.  So  when 
they  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  the  White 
Bear  said,  "Are  you  afraid?" 

"No,  not  at  all,"  said  the  lassie. 


West  o'  the  Moon  11 

"Well!  mind  and  hold  tight  by  my  shaggy 
coat,  and  then  there's  nothing  to  fear,"  added 
the  Bear. 

So  she  rode  a  long,  long  way,  till  they  came 
to  a  great  steep  hill.  There  on  the  face  of  it 
the  White  Bear  gave  a  knock,  and  a  door 
opened,  and  they  came  into  a  castle,  where 
there  were  many  rooms  all  lit  up,  gleaming 
with  silver  and  gold,  and  there  too  was  a  table 
ready  laid,  and  it  was  all  as  grand  as  grand 
could  be.  Then  the  White  Bear  gave  her  a 
silver  bell.  When  she  wanted  anything  she 
had  only  to  ring  it,  and  she  would  get  what 
she  wanted  at  once. 

Well,  when  she  had  had  supper  and  evening 
wore  on,  she  became  sleepy  because  of  her 
journey.  She  thought  she  would  like  to  go  to 
bed,  so  she  rang  the  bell.  She  had  scarce  taken 
hold  of  it  before  she  came  into  a  chamber 
where  there  were  two  beds  as  fair  and  white 
as  any  one  would  wish  to  sleep  in.  But  when 
she  had  put  out  the  light  and  gone  to  bed  some 
one  came  into  the  room  and  lay  down  in  the 


12  East  oJ  the  Sun  and 

other  bed.  Now  this  happened  every  night, 
but  she  never  saw  who  it  was,  for  he  always 
came  after  she  had  put  out  the  light;  and,  be- 
fore the  day  dawned,  he  was  up  and  off  again. 

So  things  went  on  for  a  while,  the  lassie 
having  everything  she  wanted.  But  you  must 
know,  that  no  human  being  did  she  see  from 
morning  till  night,  only  the  White  Bear  could 
she  talk  to,  and  she  did  not  know  what  man 
or  monster  it  might  be  who  came  to  sleep  in 
her  room  by  night.  At  last  she  began  to  be 
silent  and  sorrowful  and  would  neither  eat  nor 
drink. 

One  day  the  White  Bear  came  to  her  and 
said:  " Lassie,  why  are  you  so  sorrowful?  This 
castle  and  all  that  is  in  it  are  j^ours,  the  silver 
bell  will  give  you  anything  that  you  wish.  I 
only  beg  one  thing  of  you — ask  no  questions, 
trust  me  and  nothing  shall  harm  you.  So  now 
be  happy  again."  But  still  the  lassie  had  no 
peace  of  mind,  for  one  thing  she  wished  to 
know:  Who  it  was  who  came  in  the  night  and 
slept  in  her  room?    All  day  long  and  all  night 


West  o'  the  Moon  13 

long  she  wondered  and  longed  to  know,  and 
she  fretted  and  pined  away. 

So  one  night,  when  she  could  not  stand  it 
any  longer  and  she  heard  that  he  slept,  she 
got  up,  lit  a  bit  of  a  candle,  and  let  the  light 
shine  on  him.  Then  she  saw  that  he  was  the 
loveliest  Prince  one  ever  set  eyes  on,  and  she 
bent  over  and  kissed  him.  But,  as  she  kissed 
him,  she  dropped  three  drops  of  hot  tallow  on 
his  shirt,  and  he  woke  up. 

"What  have  you  done1?"  he  cried;  "now  you 
have  made  us  both  unlucky,  for  had  you  held 
out  only  this  one  year,  I  had  been  freed.  For 
I  am  the  White  Bear  by  day  and  a  man  by 
night.  It  is  a  wicked  witch  who  has  bewitched 
me;  and  now  I  must  set  off  from  you  to  her. 
She  lives  in  a  castle  which  stands  East  o'  the 
Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon,  and  there  are 
many  trolls  and  witches  there  and  one  of  those 
is  the  wife  I  must  now  have." 

She  wept,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it;  go 
he  must. 


14  East  o}  the  Sun  and 

Then  she  asked  if  she  mightn't  go  with 
him? 

No,  she  mightn't. 

"Tell  me  the  way  then,"  she  said,  "and  I'll 
search  you  out;  that,  surely,  I  may  get  leave  to 
do." 

"Yes,  you  may  do  that,"  he  said,  "but  there 
is  no  way  to  that  place.  It  lies  East  o'  the 
Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon  and  thither  you 
can  never  find  your  way."  And  at  that  very 
moment  both  Prince  and  castle  were  gone, 
and  she  lay  on  a  little  green  patch  in  the  midst 
of  the  gloomy  thick  wood,  and  by  her  side  lay 
the  same  bundle  of  rags  she  had  brought  with 
her  from  home. 

Then  she  wept  and  wept  till  she  was  tired, 
and  all  the  while  she  thought  of  the  lovely 
Prince  and  how  she  should  find  him. 

So  at  last  she  set  out  on  her  way  and  walked 
many,  many  days  and  whomever  she  met  she 
asked:  "Can  you  tell  me  the  way  to  the  castle 
that  lies  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the 
Moon?"    But  no  one  could  tell  her. 


West  o'  the  Moon  15 

And  on  she  went  a  weary  time.  Both  hungry 
and  tired  was  she  when  she  got  to  the  East 
Wind's  house  one  morning.  There  she  asked 
the  East  Wind  if  he  could  tell  her  the  way  to 
the  Prince  who  dwelt  East  o'  the  Sun  and 
West  o'  the  Moon.  Yes,  the  East  Wind  had 
often  heard  tell  of  it,  the  Prince,  and  the  cas- 
tle, but  he  couldn't  tell  the  way,  for  he  had 
never  blown  so  far. 

"But,  if  you  will,  I'll  go  with  you  to  my 
brother  the  West  Wind.  Maybe  he  knows, 
for  he's  much  stronger.  So,  if  you  will  just 
get  on  my  back,  I'll  carry  you  thither." 

Yes,  she  got  on  his  back,  and  I  can  tell  you 
they  went  briskly  along. 

So  when  they  got  there,  they  went  into  the 
West  Wind's  house,  and  the  East  Wind  said 
that  the  lassie  he  had  brought  was  the  one  who 
ought  to  marry  the  Prince  who  lived  in  the 
castle  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon; 
and  that  she  had  set  out  to  seek  him,  and 
would  be  glad  to  know  if  the  West  Wind  knew 
h'ow  to  get  to  the  castle. 


16  East  oJ  the  Sun  and 

"Nay,"  said  the  West  Wind,  "so  far  I've 
never  blown;  but  if  you  will,  I'll  go  with  you 
to  our  brother  the  South  Wind,  for  he  is  much 
stronger  than  either  of  us,  and  he  has  flapped 
his  wings  far  and  wide.  Maybe  he'll  tell  you. 
You  can  get  on  my  back  and  I'll  carry  you  to 
him." 

Yes,  she  got  on  his  back,  and  so  they  trav- 
elled to  the  South  Wind,  and  were  not  long  on 
the  way,  either. 

When  they  got  there,  the  West  Wind  asked 
him  if  he  could  tell  her  the  way  to  the  castle 
that  lay  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the 
Moon,  for  it  was  she  who  ought  to  marry  the 
Prince  who  lived  there. 

"You  don't  say  so.  That's  she,  is  it?"  said 
the  South  Wind. 

"Well,  I  have  blustered  about  in  most 
places  in  my  time,  but  that  far  I  have  never 
blown;  however,  if  you  will,  I'll  take  you  to 
my  brother  the  North  Wind;  he  is  the  oldest 
and  strongest  of  all  of  us,  and  if  he  doesn't 
know  where  it  is,  you'll  never  find  anyone  in 


West  o    the  Moon  17 

the  world  to  tell  you.  You  can  get  on  my  back 
and  I'll  carry  you  thither." 

Yes,  she  got  on  his  back,  and  away  he  went 
from  his  house  at  a  fine  rate.  And  this  time, 
too,  she  was  not  long  on  the  way.  When  they 
got  near  the  North  Wind's  house  he  was  so 
wild  and  cross  that  cold  puffs  came  from  him. 

"Heigh,  there,  what  do  you  want?"  he 
bawled  out  to  them  ever  so  far  off,  so  that  it 
struck  them  with  an  icy  shiver. 

i 'Well,"  said  the  South  Wind,  "you  needn't 
be  so  put  out,  for  here  I  am  your  brother,  the 
South  Wind,  and  here  is  the  lassie  who  ought 
to  marry  the  Prince  who  dwells  in  the  castle 
that  lies  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the 
Moon.  She  wants  to  ask  you,  if  you  ever  were 
there,  and  can  tell  her  the  way,  for  she  would 
be  so  glad  to  find  him  again." 

"Yes,  I  know  well  enough  where  it  is,"  said 
the  North  Wind.  "Once  in  my  life  I  blew  an 
aspen  leaf  thither,  but  I  was  so  tired  I  couldn't 
blow  a  puff  for  ever  so  many  days  after  it. 
But  if  you  really  wish  to  go  thither,  and  aren't 


18  East  o    the  Sun  and 

afraid  to  come  along  with  me,  I'll  take  you  on 
my  back  and  see  if  I  can  blow  you  there." 

"Yes!  and  thank  you,"  she  said,  for  she 
must  and  would  get  thither  if  it  were  possible 
in  any  way;  and  as  for  fear,  however  madly  he 
went,  she  wouldn't  be  at  all  afraid. 

"Very  well  then,"  said  the  North  Wind, 
"but  you  must  sleep  here  to-night,  for  we  must 
have  the  whole  day  before  us  if  we're  to  get 
thither  at  all." 

Early  next  morning  the  North  Wind  woke 
her,  and  puffed  himself  up,  and  blew  himself 
out,  and  made  himself  so  stout  and  big,  it  was 
gruesome  to  look  at  him.  And  so  off  she 
went,  high  on  the  back  of  the  North  Wind  up 
through  the  air,  as  if  they  would  never  stop 
till  they  got  to  the  world's  end. 

Down  here  below  there  was  a  terrible  storm; 
it  threw  down  long  tracts  of  woodland  and 
many  houses,  and  when  it  swept  over  the 
great  sea  ships  foundered  by  hundreds. 

So  they  tore  on  and  on, — no  one  can  believe 
how  far  they  went, — and  all  the  while  they 


West  oJ  the  Moon  19 

still  went  over  the  sea,  and  the  North  Wind 
got  more  and  more  weary,  and  so  out  of  breath 
he  could  scarce  bring  out  a  puff,  and  his  wings 
drooped  and  drooped,  till  at  last  he  sunk  so 
low  that  the  crests  of  the  waves  lashed  over 
her  heels. 

"Are  you  afraid0?"  said  the  North  Wind. 

She  wasn't. 

But  they  were  not  very  far  from  land;  and 
the  North  Wind  had  still  so  much  strength  left 
in  him  that  he  managed  to  throw  her  up  on 
shore  close  by  the  castle  which  lay  East  o'  the 
Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon;  but  then  he  was  so 
weak  and  worn  out,  that  he  had  to  stay  there 
and  rest  many  days  before  he  could  get  home 
again. 

And  now  the  lassie  began  to  look  about  her 
and  to  think  of  how  she  might  free  the  Prince, 
but  nowhere  did  she  see  a  sign  of  life. 

Then  she  sat  herself  down  right  under  the 
castle  windows,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun  went 
down,  out  they  came,  trolls  and  witches,  red- 
eyed,  long-nosed,  hunch-backed  hags,   tum- 

2 


20  East  o    the  Sun  and 

bling  over  each  other,  scolding,  hurrying  and 
scurrying  hither  and  thither. 

At  first  they  almost  frightened  the  life  out 
of  her,  but  when  she  had  watched  them  awhile 
and  they  had  not  noticed  her,  she  took  courage 
and  walked  up  to  one  of  them  and  said:  "Pray 
tell  me  what  goes  on  here  to-night  that  you  are 
all  so  busy,  and  could  I  perhaps  get  something 
to  do  for  a  night's  lodging  and  a  bit  of  food?" 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!"  laughed  the  horrid  witch, 
"and  where  do  you  come  from  that  you  do  not 
know  that  it  is  to-night  that  the  Prince 
chooses  his  bride.  When  the  moon  stands  high 
over  the  tree  tops  yonder  we  meet  in  the  clear- 
ing by  the  old  oak.  There  the  caldrons  are 
ready  with  boiling  lye,  for  don't  you  know? — 
he's  going  to  choose  for  his  bride  the  one  who 
can  wash  three  spots  of  tallow  from  his  shirt, 
Ha,  ha,  ha!" 

And  the  wicked  witch  hurried  off  again, 
laughing  such  a  horrible  laugh  that  it  made 
the  lassie's  blood  run  cold. 

But  now  the  trolls  and  witches  came  troop- 


West  o    the  Moon  21 

ing  out  of  the  very  earth,  it  seemed,  and  all 
turned  their  steps  toward  the  clearing  in  the 
woods. 

So  the  lassie  went  too,  and  found  a  place 
among  the  rest.  Now  the  moon  stood  high 
above  the  tree  tops,  and  there  was  the  caldron 
in  the  middle  and  round  about  sat  the  trolls 
and  witches; — such  gruesome  company  I'm 
sure  you  were  never  in.  Then  came  the 
Prince ;  he  looked  about  from  one  to  the  other, 
and  he  saw  the  lassie,  and  his  face  grew  white, 
but  he  said  nothing. 

"Now,  let's  begin,"  said  a  witch  with  a  nose 
three  ells  long.  She  was  sure  she  was  going 
to  have  the  Prince,  and  she  began  to  wash 
away  as  hard  as  she  could,  but  the  more  she 
rubbed  and  scrubbed,  the  bigger  the  spots 
grew. 

"Ah!"  said  an  old  hag,  "you  can't  wash,  let 
me  try." 

But  she  hadn't  long  taken  the  shirt  in  hand, 
before  it  was  far  worse  than  ever,  and  with  all 
her  rubbing  and  scrubbing  and  wringing,  the 


22  East  d  the  Sun  and 

spots  grew  bigger  and  blacker,  and  the  darker 
and  uglier  was  the  shirt. 

Then  all  the  other  trolls  began  to  wash,  but 
the  longer  it  lasted,  the  blacker  and  uglier  the 
shirt  grew,  till  at  last  it  was  as  black  all  over 
as  if  it  had  been  up  the  chimney. 

"Ah!"  said  the  Prince,  "you're  none  of  you 
worth  a  straw,  you  can't  wash.  Why  there 
sits  a  beggar  lassie,  I'll  be  bound  she  knows 
how  to  wash  better  than  the  whole  lot  of  you. 
Come  here,  lassie,"  he  shouted. 

"Can  you  wash  the  shirt  clean,  lassie?"  said 
he. 

"I  don't  know,"  she  said,  "but  I  think  I 
can." 

And  almost  before  she  had  taken  it  and 
dipped  it  in  the  water,  it  was  as  white  as  snow, 
and  whiter  still. 

"Yes;  you  are  the  lassie  for  me,"  said  the 
Prince. 

At  that  moment  the  sun  rose  and  the  whole 
pack  of  trolls  turned  to  stone. 

There  you  may  see  them  to  this  very  day 


West  o    the  Moon  23 

sitting  around  in  a  circle,  big  ones  and  little 
ones,  all  hard,  cold  stone. 

But  the  Prince  took  the  lassie  by  the  hand 
and  they  flitted  away  as  far  as  they  could  from 
the  castle  that  lay  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o' 
the  Moon. 


The   Three   Billy   Goats   Gruff 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  were  three  Billy 
Goats,  who  were  to  go  up  to  the  hillside 
to  make  themselves  fat,  and  the  family 
name  of  the  goats  was  ' '  Gruff. ' ' 

On  the  way  up  was  a  bridge,  over  a  river 
which  they  had  to  cross,  and  under  the  bridge 
lived  a  great  ugly  Troll  with  eyes  as  big  as 
saucers,  and  a  nose  as  long  as  a  poker. 

First  of  all  came  the  youngest  Billy  Goat 
Gruff  to  cross  the  bridge.  "Trip,  trap;  trip, 
trap ! ' '  went  the  bridge. 

"Who's  that  tripping  over  my  bridge?" 
roared  the  Troll. 

' '  Oh,  it  is  only  I,  the  tiniest  Billy  Goat  Gruff, 
and  I'm  going  up  to  the  hillside  to  make  myself 
fat,"  said  the  Billy  Goat,  with  such  a  small 
voice. 

"Now,  I'm  coming  to  gobble  you  up,"  said 
the  Troll. 

25 


26  The  Three  Billy  Goats  Gruff 

"Oh,  no!  pray  do  not  take  me,  I'm  too  little, 
that  I  am,"  said  the  Billy  Goat;  "wait  a  bit 
till  the  second  Billy  Goat  Gruff  comes,  he's 
much  bigger. ' ' 

"Well!  be  off  with  you,"  said  the  Troll. 

A  little  while  after  came  the  second  Billy 
Goat  Gruff  across  the  bridge. 

"Trip,  trap!  trip,  trap!  trip,  trap!"  went  the 
bridge. 

"Who  is  that  tripping  over  my  bridged" 
roared  the  Troll. 

"Oh,  it's  the  second  Billy  Goat  Gruff,  and 
I'm  going  up  to  the  hillside  to  make  myself 
fat, ' '  said  the  Billy  Goat.  Nor  had  he  such  a 
small  voice,  either. 

"Now,  I'm  coming  to  gobble  you  up!"  said 
the  Troll. 

"Oh,  no!  don't  take  me,  wait  a  little  till  the 
big  Billy  Goat  comes,  he's  much  bigger." 

"Very  well!  be  off  with  you,"  said  the  Troll. 

But  just  then  up  came  the  big  Billy  Goat 
Gruff. 

"Trip,  trap!  trip,  trap!  trip,  trap!"  went  the 


The  Three  Billy  Goats  Gruff  27 

bridge,  for  the  Billy  Goat  was  so  heavy  that 
the  bridge  creaked  and  groaned  under  him. 

"Who's  that  tramping  on  my  bridge?" 
roared  the  Troll. 

"It's  I!  the  big  Billy  Goat  Gruff,"  said  the 
Billy  Goat,  and  he  had  a  big  hoarse  voice. 

"Now,   I'm   coming   to    gobble   you   up!'* 
roared  the  troll. 
"Well  come!  I  have  two  spears  so  stout, 
With  them  I'll  thrust  your  eyeballs  out; 
I  have  besides  two  great  big  stones, 
With  them  I'll  crush  you  body  and  bones!" 

That  was  what  the  big  Billy  Goat  said;  so 
he  flew  at  the  Troll,  and  thrust  him  with  his 
horns,  and  crushed  him  to  bits,  body  and 
bones,  and  tossed  him  out  into  the  river,  and 
after  that  he  went  up  to  the  hillside. 

There  the  Billy  Goats  got  so  fat  that  they 
were  scarcety  able  to  walk  home  again,  and  if 
they  haven't  grown  thinner,  why  they're  still 
fat ;  and  so, — 

"Snip,  snap,  stout. 
This  tale's  told  out." 


Taper  Tom 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  King  who 
had  a  daughter,  and  she  was  so  lovely 
that  her  good  looks  were  well  known 
far  and  near.  But  she  was  so  sad  and  serious 
she  could  never  be  got  to  laugh,  and  besides, 
she  was  so  high  and  mighty  that  she  said  "No" 
to  all  who  came  to  woo  her.  She  would  have 
none  of  them,  were  they  ever  so  grand — lords 
or  princes, — it  was  all  the  same. 

The  King  had  long  ago  become  tired  of  this, 
for  he  thought  she  might  just  as  well  marry; 
she,  too,  like  all  other  people.  There  was 
no  use  in  waiting;  she  was  quite  old  enough, 
nor  would  she  be  any  richer,  for  she  was  to 
have  half  the  kingdom, — that  came  to  her  as 
her  mother's  heir. 

So  he  had  word  sent  throughout  the  king- 
dom, that  anyone  who  could  get  his  daughter 
to  laugh  should  have  her  for  his  wife  and  half 
the  kingdom  besides.  But,  if  there  was  anyone 

29 


30  Taper  Tom 

who  tried  and  could  not,  he  was  to  have  a 
sound  thrashing.  And  sure  it  was  that  there 
were  many  sore  backs  in  that  kingdom,  for 
lovers  and  wooers  came  from  north  and  south, 
and  east  and  west,  thinking  it  nothing  at  all  to 
make  a  King's  daughter  laugh.  And  gay  fel- 
lows they  were,  some  of  them  too,  but  for  all 
their  tricks  and  capers  there  sat  the  Princess, 
just  as  sad  and  serious  as  she  had  been  before. 

Now,  not  far  from  the  palace  lived  a  man 
who  had  three  sons,  and  they,  too,  had  heard 
how  the  King  had  given  it  out  that  the  man 
who  could  make  the  Princess  laugh  was  to 
have  her  to  wife  and  half  the  kingdom. 

The  eldest  was  for  setting  off  first.  So  he 
strode  off,  and  when  he  came  to  the  King's 
grange,  he  told  the  King  he  would  be  glad  to 
try  to  make  the  Princess  laugh. 

"All  very  well,  my  man,"  said  the  King, 
"but  it's  sure  to  be  of  no  use,  for  so  many  have 
been  here  and  tried.  My  daughter  is  so  sor- 
rowful it's  no  use  trying,  and  it's  not  my  wish 
that  anyone  should  come  to  g-rief." 


Taper  Tom  31 

But  the  lad  thought  he  would  like  to  try.  It 
couldu't  be  such  a  very  hard  thing  for  him  to 
get  the  Princess  to  laugh,  for  so  many  had 
laughed  at  him,  both  gentle  and  simple,  when 
he  enlisted  for  a  soldier  and  was  drilled  by 
Corporal  Jack. 

So  he  Avent  off  to  the  courtyard,  under  the 
Princess's  window,  and  began  to  go  through 
his  drill  as  Corporal  Jack  had  taught  him.  But 
it  was  no  good,  the  Princess  was  just  as  sad 
and  serious  and  did  not  so  much  as  smile  at 
him  once.  So  they  took  him  and  thrashed  him 
well,  and  sent  him  home  again. 

Well,  he  had  hardly  got  home  before  his  sec- 
ond brother  wanted  to  set  off.  He  was  a 
schoolmaster,  and  the  funniest  figure  one  ever 
laid  eyes  upon;  he  was  lopsided,  for  he  had  one 
leg  shorter  than  the  other,  and  one  moment  he 
was  as  little  as  a  boy,  and  in  another,  when  he 
stood  on  his  long  leg,  he  was  as  tall  and  long 
as  a  Troll.  Besides  this  he  was  a  powerful 
preacher. 

So  when  he  came  to  the  king's  palace,  and 


32 Taper  Tom 

said  he  wished  to  make  the  Princess  laugh,  the 
King  thought  it  might  not  be  so  unlikely  after 
all.  "But  mercy  on  you,"  he  said,  "if  you 
don't  make  her  laugh.  We  are  for  laying  it 
on  harder  and  harder  for  every  one  that  fails." 
Then  the  schoolmaster  strode  off  to  the 
courtyard,  and  put  himself  before  the  Prin- 
cess's window,  and  read  and  preached  like 
seven  parsons,  and  sang  and  chanted  like 
seven  clerks,  as  loud  as  all  the  parsons  and 
clerks  in  the  country  round. 

The  King  laughed  loud  at  him,  and  the  Prin- 
cess almost  smiled  a  little,  but  then  became  as 
sad  and  serious  as  ever,  and  so  it  fared  no 
better  with  Paul,  the  schoolmaster,  than  with 
Peter  the  soldier — for  you  must  know  one  was 
called  Peter  and  the  other  Paul.  So  they  took 
him  and  flogged  him  well,  and  then  they  sent 
him  home  again. 

Then  the  youngest,  whose  name  was  Taper 
Tom,  was  all  for  setting  out.  But  his  brothers 
laughed  and  jeered  at  him,  and  showed  him 
their  sore  backs,  and  his  father  said  it  was  no 


Taper  Tom  33 

use  for  him  to  go  for  he  had  no  sense.  Was  it 
not  true  that  he  neither  knew  anything  nor 
could  do  anything?  There  he  sat  in  the 
hearth,  like  a  cat,  and  grubbed  in  the  ashes 
and  split  tapers.  That  was  why  they  called 
him  " Taper  Tom."  But  Taper  Tom  would  not 
give  in,  and  so  they  got  tired  of  his  growling; 
and  at  last  he,  too,  got  leave  to  go  to  the  king's 
palace  to  try  his  luck. 

When  he  got  there  he  did  not  say  that  he 
wished  to  try  to  make  the  Princess  laugh,  but 
asked  if  he  could  get  work  there.  No,  they 
had  no  place  for  him,  but  for  all  that  Taper 
Tom  would  not  give  up.  In  such  a  big  palace 
they  must  want  someone  to  carry  wood  and 
water  for  the  kitchen  maid, — that  was  what  he 
said.  And  the  king  thought  it  might  very  well 
be,  for  he,  too,  got  tired  of  his  teasing.  In  the 
end  Taper  Tom  stayed  there  to  carry  wood 
and  water  for  the  kitchen  maid. 

So  one  day,  when  he  was  going  to  fetch 
water  from  the  brook,  he  set  eyes  upon  a  big 
fish  which  lay  under  an  old  fir  stump,  where 


34  Taper  Tom 

the  water  had  eaten  into  the  bank,  and  he  put 
his  bucket  softly  under  the  fish  and  caught  it. 
But  as  he  was  goinghome  to  the  grange  he  met 
an  old  woman  who  led  a  golden  goose  by  a 
string. 

"Good-day,  godmother,"  said  Taper  Tom> 
"that's  a  pretty  bird  }^ou  have,  and  what  fine 
feathers!  If  one  only  had  such  feathers  one 
might  leave  off  splitting  fir  tapers." 

The  goody  was  just  as  pleased  with  the  fish 
Tom  had  in  his  bucket  and  said,  if  he  would 
give  her  the  fish,  he  might  have  the  golden 
goose.  And  it  was  such  a  curious  goose. 
When  any  one  touched  it  he  stuck  fast  to  it,  if 
Tom  only  said,  "If  you  want  to  come  along, 
hang  on. ' '  Of  course,  Taper  Tom  was  willing 
enough  to  make  the  exchange.  "A  bird  is  as 
good  as  a  fish  any  day,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"and,  if  it's  such  a  bird  as  you  say,  I  can  use 
it  as  a  fish  hook."  That  was  what  he  said  to 
the  goody,  and  he  was  much  pleased  with  the 
goose. 
Now,  he  had  not  gone  far  before  he  met 


Taper  Tom  85 

another  old  woman.  As  soon  as  she  saw  the 
lovely  golden  goose  she  spoke  prettily,  and 
coaxed  and  begged  Tom  to  give  her  leave  to 
stroke  his  lovely  golden  goose. 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  Taper  Tom,  and 
just  as  she  stroked  the  goose  he  said,  "If  you 
want  to  come  along,  hang  on." 

The  goody  pulled  and  tore,  but  she  was 
forced  to  hang  on  whether  she  would  or  not 
and  Taper  Tom  went  on  as  though  he  alone 
were  with  the  golden  goose. 

When  he  had  gone  a  bit  farther,  he  met  a 
man  who  had  had  a  quarrel  with  the  old 
woman  for  a  trick  she  had  played  him.  So, 
when  he  saw  how  hard  she  struggled  and 
strove  to  get  free,  and  how  fast  she  stuck,  he 
thought  he  would  just  pay  her  off  the  old 
grudge,  and  so  he  gave  her  a  kick  with  his 
foot. 

"If  you  want  to  come  along,  hang  on!'' 
called  out  Tom,  and  then  the  old  man  had  to 
hop  along  on  one  leg,  whether  he  would  or  not. 
When  he  tore  and  tugged  and  tried  to  get 


36  Taper  Tom 

loose — it  was  still  worse  for  him,  for  he  all  but 
fell  flat  on  his  back  every  step  he  took. 

In  this  way  they  went  on  a  good  bit  till  they 
had  nearly  reached  the  King's  palace. 

There  they  met  the  King's  smith,  who  was 
going  to  the  smithy,  and  had  a  great  pair  of 
tongs  in  his  hand.  Now  you  must  know  this 
smith  was  a  merry  fellow,  full  of  both  tricks 
and  pranks,  and  when  he  saw  this  string  come 
hobbling  and  limping  along,  he  laughed  so  that 
he  was  almost  bent  double.  Then  he  bawled 
out,  "  Surely  this  is  a  new  flock  of  geese  the 
Princess  is  going  to  have — Ah,  here  is  the 
gander  that  toddles  in  front.  Goosey!  goosey! 
goosey!"  he  called,  and  with  that  he  threw  his 
hands  about  as  though  he  were  scattering  corn 
for  the  geese. 

But  the  flock  never  stopped — on  it  went  and 
all  that  the  goody  and  the  man  did  was  to  look 
daggers  at  the  smith  for  making  fun  of  them* 
Then  the  smith  went  on: 

"It  would  be  fine  fun  to  see  if  I  could  hold 
the  whole  flock,  so  many  as  they  are,"  for  he 


Taper  Tom  37 

*.*  i  !■  ■■»■■      i -     ■  i  ■  ■  ,  i 

was  a  stout  strong  fellow.  So  lie  took  hold 
with  his  big  tongs  by  the  old  man's  coat  tail, 
and  the  man  all  the  while  screeched  and 
wriggled.    But  Taper  Tom  only  said: 

"If  you  want  to  come  along,  hang  on!"  So 
the  smith  had  to  go  along  too.  He  bent  his 
back  and  stuck  his  heels  into  the  ground  and 
tried  to  get  loose,  but  it  wTas  all  no  good.  He 
stuck  fast,  as  though  he  had  been  screwed 
tight  with  his  own  vise,  and  whether- he  would 
or  not,  he  had  to  dance  along  with  the  rest. 

So,  when  they  came  near  to  the  King's 
palace,  the  dog  ran  out  and  began  to  bark  as 
though  they  were  wolves  and  beggars.  And 
when  the  Princess,  looking  out  of  the  window 
to  see  what  was  the  matter,  set  eyes  on  this 
strange  pack,  she  laughed  softly  to  herself. 
But  Taper  Tom  was  not  content  with  that: 

"Bide  a  bit,"  he  said,  "she  will  soon  have 
to  make  a  noise."  And  as  he  said  that  he 
turned  off  with  his  band  to  the  back  of  the 
palace. 

When  they  passed  by  the  kitchen  the  door 


38  Taper  Tom 

stood  open,  and  the  cook  was  just  stirring  the 
porridge.  But  when  she  saw  Taper  Tom  and 
his  pack  she  came  running  out  at  the  door, 
with  her  broom  in  one  hand  and  a  ladle  full  of 
smoking  porridge  in  the  other,  and  she 
laughed  as  though  her  sides  would  split.  And 
when  she  saw  the  smith  there  too,  she  bent 
double  and  went  off  again  in  a  loud  peal  of 
laughter.  But  when  she  had  had  her  laugh 
out,  she  too  thought  the  golden  goose  so  lovely 
she  must  just  stroke  it. 

"Taper  Tom!  Taper  Tom!"  she  called  out, 
and  came  running  out  with  the  ladle  of  por- 
ridge in  her  fist,  "Give  me  leave  to  pet  that 
pretty  bird  of  yours?" 

"Better  come  and  pet  me,"  said  the  smith. 
But  when  the  cook  heard  that  she  got  angry. 

"What  is  that  you  say?"  she  cried  and  gave 
the  smith  a  box  on  his  ears  with  the  ladle. 

"If  you  want  to  come  along,  hang  on,"  said 
Taper  Tom.  So  she  stuck  fast  too,  and  for 
all  her  kicks  and  plunges,  and  all  her  scolding 


She  opened  her   mouth  wide  and  laughed 


Taper  Tom  41 

and  screaming,  and  all  her  riving  and  striving, 
she  too  had  to  limp  along  with  them. 

Soon  the  whole  company  came  under  the 
Princess's  window.  There  she  stood  waiting 
for  them.  And  when  she  saw  they  had  taken 
the  cook  too,  with  her  ladle  and  broom,  she 
opened  her  mouth  wide,  and  laughed  so  loud 
that  the  King  had  to  hold  her  upright. 

So  Taper  Tom  got  the  Princess  and  half  the 
kingdom,  and  they  say  he  kept  her  in  high 
spirits  with  his  tricks  and  pranks  till  the  end 
of  her  days. 


Why  the  Bear  Is  Stumpy-Tailed 

ONE  day  the  Bear  met  the  Fox,  who 
came  slinking  along  with  a  string  of 
fish  he  had  stolen. 

"Where  did  you  get  those?"  asked  the  Bear. 

"Oh!  my  Lord  Bruin,  I've  been  out  fishing 
and  caught  them, ' '  said  the  Fox. 

So  the  Bear  had  a  mind  to  learn  to  fish  too, 
and  bade  the  Fox  tell  him  how  he  was  to  set 
about  it. 

"Oh!  it  is  an  easy  craft  for  you,'7  answered 
the  Fox,  "and  soon  learned.  You've  only  to 
go  upon  the  ice,  cut  a  hole,  stick  your  tail  down 
into  it,  and  hold  it  there  as  long  as  you  can. 
You're  not  to  mind  if  your  tail  smarts  a  little; 
that's  when  the  fish  bite.  The  longer  you  hold 
it  there  the  more  fish  you'll  get;  and  then  all 
at  once  out  with  it,  with  a  cross  pull  sideways, 
and  with  a  strong  pull  too." 

Yes,  the  Bear  did  as  the  Fox  had  said,  and 
held  his  tail  a  long,  long  time  down  in  the  hole, 

43 


44         Why  the  Bear  Is  Stumpy-Tailed 

till  it  was  frozen  in  fast.  Then  he  pulled  it  out 
with  a  cross  pull,  and  it  snapped  short  off. 
That's  why  Bruin  goes  about  with  a  stumpy 
tail  to  this  very  day. 


Reynard   and  the  Cock 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  cock  who 
stood  on  the  barnyard  fence  and  crowed 
and  flapped  his  wings.  Then  the  fox 
came  by. 

' '  Good-day, ' '  said  Reynard.  ' '  I  have  heard 
you  crowing  so  nicely,  but  can  you  stand  on 
one  leg  and  crow,  and  wink  your  eyes?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  the  cock,  "I  can  do  that 
very  well."  So  he  stood  on  one  leg  and  crowed, 
but  he  winked  only  with  one  eye,  and  when 
he  had  done  that  he  made  himself  big  and 
flapped  his  wings,  as  though  he  had  done  a 
great  thing. 

"Very  pretty,  to  be  sure,"  said  Reynard. 
"Almost  as  pretty  as  when  the  parson 
preaches  in  church,  but  can  you  stand  on  one 
leg  and  wink  both  your  eyes  at  once  1  I  hardly 
think  you  can." 

"Can't  I  though!"  said  the  cock,  and  stood 
on  one  leg,  and  winked  both  his  eyes  and 
crowed.     But  Reynard  caught  hold  of  him, 

45 


46  Reynard  and  the  Cock 

took  him  by  the  throat,  and  threw  him  on  his 
back,  so  that  he  was  off  to  the  wood  before  he 
had  crowed  his  crow  out,  as  fast  as  Reynard 
could  lay  legs  to  the  ground. 

When  they  had  come  under  an  old  spruce 
fir,  Reynard  threw  the  cock  on  the  ground,  and 
set  his  paw  on  his  breast,  and  was  going  to 
take  a  bite:  "You  are  a  heathen,  Reynard!" 
said  the  cock.  "Good  Christians  say  grace 
before  they  eat." 

But  Reynard  would  be  no  heathen,  no 
indeed.  So  he  let  go  his  hold,  and  was  about 
to  fold  his  paws  over  his  breast,  and  say  grace 
— but  pop !  up  flew  the  cock  into  a  tree. 

"You  shan't  get  off  for  all  that,"  said  Rey- 
nard to  himself.  So  he  went  away,  and  came 
again  with  a  few  chips  which  the  woodcutters 
had  left.  The  cock  peeped  and  peered  to  see 
what  they  could  be. 

"What  is  that  you  have  there?"  he  asked. 

"These  are  letters  I  have  just  got,"  said 
Reynard,  "won't  you  help  me  to  read  them, 
for  I  don't  know  how  to  read  writing." 


Reynard  and  the  Cock  47 

" I'd  be  so  happy,  but  I  dare  not  read  them 
now,"  said  the  cock,  "for  here  comes  a  hunter 
— I  see  him,  I  see  him  with  his  pouch  and 
gun."  - 

When  Reynard  heard  the  cock  chattering 
about  a  hunter,  he  took  to  his  heels  as  fast 
as  he  could. 


Bruin  and  Reynard  Partners 

ONCE  on  a  time  Bruin  and  Eeynard 
owned  a  field  in  common.  They  had  a 
little  clearing  up  in  the  wood,  and  the 
first  year  they  sowed  rye. 

"Now  we  must  share  the  crop  as  is  fair  and 
right,"  said  Reynard.  "If  you  like  to  have 
the  root,  I'll  take  the  top." 

Yes,  Bruin  was  ready  to  do  that;  but  when 
they  had  threshed  out  the  crop,  Reynard  got 
all  the  corn,  but  Bruin  got  nothing  but  roots 
and  rubbish.  He  did  not  like  that  at  all;  but 
Reynard  said  that  was  how  they  had  agreed 
to  share  it. 

"This  year  I  have  the  gain,"  said  Reynard, 
"next  year  it  will  be  your  turn.  Then  you 
shall  have  the  top,  and  I  shall  have  to  put  up 
with  the  root." 

But  when  spring  came,  and  it  was  time  to 
sow,  Reynard  asked  Bruin  what  he  thought  of 
turnips. 

43 


50  Bruin  and  Reynard  Partners 

"Aye,  aye!"  said  Bruin,  "that's  better  food 
than  rye,"  and  so  Reynard  thought  also.  But 
when  harvest  time  came  Reynard  got  the 
roots,  while  Bruin  got  the  turnip-tops.  And 
then  Bruin  was  so  angry  with  Reynard  that  he 
put  an  end  at  once  to  his  partnership  with  himr 


Boots  and  His  Brothers 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  who  had 
three  sons,  Peter,  Paul  and  Espen. 
Espen  was  Boots,  of  course,  because  he 
was  the  youngest.  I  can't  say  the  man  had 
anything  except  these  three  sons,  for  he  did 
not  possess  one  penny  to  rub  against  another ; 
and  so  he  told  his  sons  over  and  over  again 
they  must  go  out  into  the  world  to  seek  their 
fortune,  for  at  home  there  was  nothing  to  be 
expected  but  to  starve  to  death. 

Now,  a  short  way  from  the  man's  cottage 
was  the  King's  palace,  and  you  must  know, 
just  against  the  King's  windows  a  great  oak 
had  sprung  up,  which  was  so  stout  and  big 
that  it  took  away  all  the  light  from  the  king's 
palace.  The  King  had  said  he  would  give 
much  gold  to  any  man  who  could  fell  the  oak, 
but  no  one  was  man  enough  to  do  it,  for  as 
soon  as  one  chip  of  the  oak's  trunk  flew  off, 
two  grew  in  its  stead.  The  King  wished  also 
to  have  a  well  dug  which  was  to  hold  water 

5J 


52  Boots  and  His  Brothers 

for  the  whole  year.  All  his  neighbors  had 
wells,  but  he  had  none,  and  he  thought  that  a 
shame. 

So  the  King  said  he  would  give  to  any  one 
who  could  dig  him  such  a  well  as  would  hold 
water  for  the  whole  year  round,  both  money 
and  goods,  but  no  one  could  do  it,  for  the 
King's  palace  lay  high,  high  up  on  a  hill,  and 
they  could  dig  but  a  few  inches  before  they 
would  come  upon  rock. 

But  as  the  King  had  set  his  heart  on  having 
these  two  things  done,  he  had  it  given  out  in 
all  the  churches  of  his  kingdom  far  and  wide, 
that  he  who  could  fell  the  big  oak  in  the  King's 
courtyard,  and  dig  him  a  well  that  would  hold 
water  the  whole  year  round,  should  have  the 
Princess  and  half  the  kingdom.  Well!  you 
may  easily  know  there  was  many  a  man  who 
came  to  try  his  luck;  but  all  their  hacking  and 
hewing,  and  all  their  digging  and  delving  were 
useless.  The  oak  got  bigger  and  stouter  at 
every  stroke,  and  the  rock  grew  no  softer 
either. 


Boots  and  His  Brothers  53 

One  day  the  three  brothers  thought  they, 
too,  would  set  off  and  try  it.  Their  father  had 
not  a  word  to  say  against  it;  for  even  if  they 
did  not  get  the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom, 
it  might  happen  they  would  get  a  place  some- 
where with  a  good  master  and  that  was  all  he 
wanted.  So  when  the  brothers  asked  his  per- 
mission, he  consented  at  once,  and  Peter,  Paul 
and  Espen  set  forth. 

Well,  they  had  not  gone  far  before  they 
came  to  a  fir  wood  where  at  one  side  there  rose 
a  steep  hill,  and  as  they  went  along  they  heard 
something  hewing  and  hacking  away  up  on  the 
hill  among  the  trees. 

"I  wonder  now  what  it  is  that  is  hewing 
away  up  yonder,"  said  Boots. 

"  You  're  always  so  clever  with  your  won- 
dering," laughed  Peter  and  Paul  both  at  once. 
"What  wonder  is  it,  pray,  that  a  wood  cutter 
should  stand  and  hack  up  on  a  hillside?" 

"Still,  I'd  like  to  see  what  it  is,  after  all," 
said  Boots,  and  up  he  went. 

"Oh,  if  you're  such  a  child,  'twill  do  you 


54  Boots  and  His  Brothers 

good  to  go  and  take  a  lesson,"  called  out  his 
brothers  after  him. 

But  Boots  didn't  care  for  what  they  said;  he 
climbed  the  steep  hillside  towards  the  spot 
whence  the  noise  came,  and  when  he  reached 
the  place,  what  do  you  think  he  saw?  Why, 
an  axe  that  stood  there  hacking  and  hewing, 
all  of  itself,  at  the  trunk  of  a  fir  tree. 

"Good-day,"  said  Boots.  "So  you  stand 
here  all  alone  and  hew,  do  you?" 

"Yes,  here  Fve  stood  and  hewed  and  hacked 
for  hundreds  of  years,  waiting  for  you,"  said 
the  axe. 

"Well,  here  I  am  at  last,"  said  Boots,  as  he 
took  the  axe,  pulled  it  off  its  haft,  and  stuffed 
both  head  and  haft  into  his  wallet. 

When  he  got  down  again  to  his  brothers, 
they  began  to  jeer  and  laugh  at  him. 

"And  now,  what  strange  thing  was  it  you 
saw  up  yonder  on  the  hillside?"  they  asked. 

"Oh,  it  was  only  an  axe  we  heard,"  said 
Boots. 

When  they  had  gone  on  a  bit  farther,  their 


A  spade  that  stood  digging  and  delving 


Boots  and  His  Brothers  57 

road  passed  under  a  steep  spur  of  rock,  where 
they  heard  something  digging  and  shovelling. 

"I  wonder  now,"  said  Boots,  "what  is  dig- 
ging and  shovelling  up  yonder  at  the  top  of 
the  rock." 

"Ah,  you're  always  so  clever  with  your  won- 
dering," laughed  Peter  and  Paul  again,  "as 
if  you'd  never  heard  a  woodpecker  hacking 
and  pecking  at  a  hollow  tree." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Boots,  "I  just  think  it 
would  be  fun  to  see  what  it  really  is." 

And  so  off  he  set  to  climb  the  rock,  while  the 
others  laughed  and  made  fun  of  him.  But  he 
did  not  care  a  bit  for  that;  up  he  climbed,  and 
when  he  got  near  the  top,  what  do  you  think  he 
saw?  Why,  a  spade  that  stood  there  digging 
and  delving. 

"Good-day!"  said  Boots.  "So  you  stand 
here  all  alone,  and  dig  and  delve,  do  you?" 

"Yes,  that's  what  I  do,"  said  the  spade, 
"and  that's  what  I've  done  these  hundreds  of 
years,  waiting  for  you,  Boots. ' ' 

"Well,  here  I  am,"  said  Boots  again,  as  he 


58  Boots  and  His  Brothers 

took  the  spade  and  knocked  it  off  the  handle, 
and  put  it  into  his  wallet, — and  then  returned 
to  his  brothers. 

"Well,  what  was  it,  so  rare  and  strange," 
said  Peter  and  Paul,  "that  you  saw  up  there 
at  the  top  of  the  rock1?" 

"Oh,"  said  Boots,  "nothing  more  than  a 
spade;  that  was  what  we  heard." 

So  they  went  on  again  a  good  bit  until  they 
came  to  a  brook.  They  were  thirsty,  all  three, 
after  their  long  walk,  and  so  they  lay  down 
beside  the  brook  to  have  a  drink. 

"I  wonder  now,"  said  Boots,  "where  all  this 
water  comes  from." 

"I  wonder  if  you've  lost  the  little  sense  you 
had,"  said  Peter  and  Paul  in  one  breath. 
"Where  the  brook  comes  from  indeed!  Have 
you  never  heard  how  water  rises  from  a  spring 
in  the  earth?" 

"Yes!  but  still  I've  a  great  fancy  to  see 
where  this  brook  comes  from, ' '  said  Boots. 

So  along  beside  the  brook  he  went,  in  spite 
of  all  that  his  brothers  cried  after  him.    Noth- 


Boots  and  His  Brothers  59 

ing  could  stop  him.  On  he  went,  up  and  up, 
and  the  brook  got  smaller  and  smaller,  and  at 
last,  a  little  way  farther  on,  what  do  you  think 
he  saw  ?  Why,  a  great  walnut,  and  out  of  that 
the  water  trickled. 

' '  Good-day ! ' '  said  Boots  again.  ' '  So  you  lie 
here,  and  trickle  and  run  down  all  alone  T' 

1 '  Yes,  I  do, ' '  said  the  walnut, ' '  and  here  have 
I  trickled  and  run  these  hundreds  of  years, 
waiting  for  you,  Boots." 

"Well,  here  I  am,"  said  Boots,  as  he  took  up 
a  lump  of  moss,  and  plugged  up  the  hole,  that 
the  water  might  not  run  out.  Then  he  put  the 
walnut  into  his  wallet,  and  ran  down  to  his 
brothers. 

"Well,  now,"  said  Peter  and  Paul,  "have 
you  found  out  where  the  water  comes  from? 
A  rare  sight  it  must  have  been!" 

"Oh,  after  all,  it  was  only  a  hole  it  ran  out 
of,"  said  Boots;  and  so  the  others  laughed  and 
made  fun  of  him  again,  but  Boots  didn  't  mind 
that  a  bit. 


60  Boots  and  His  Brothers 

"After  all,  I  had  the  fun  of  seeing  it,"  said 
he. 

So  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  farther,  they 
came  to  the  King's  palace;  but  as  every  one  in 
the  kingdom  had  heard  how  he  might  win  the 
Princess  and  half  the  realm,  if  he  could  only 
fell  the  big  oak  and  dig  the  King's  well,  so 
many  had  come  to  try  their  luck  that  the  oak 
was  now  twice  as  stout  and  big  as  it  had  been 
at  first ;  for  two  chips  grew  for  every  one  they 
hewed  out  with  their  axes,  as  I  dare  say  you 
remember  I  told  you.  So  the  King  had  now 
laid  down  as  a  punishment,  that  if  any  one 
tried  and  could  not  fell  the  oak,  he  should  be 
put  on  a  barren  island,  much  like  a  prison. 

The  two  brothers  did  not  let  themselves  be 
scared  by  that,  however,  for  they  were  quite 
sure  they  could  fell  the  oak,  and  Peter,  as  he 
was  the  eldest,  was  to  try  his  hand  first.  But 
it  went  with  him  as  with  all  the  rest  who  had 
hewn  at  the  oak.  For  every  chip  he  had  cut 
out,  two  grew  in  its  place.    So  the  King's  men 


Boots  and  His  Brothers  61 

seized  him,  bound  him  hand  and  foot,  and  put 
him  out  on  the  island. 

Now,  Paul  was  to  try  his  luck,  but  he  fared 
just  the  same;  when  he  had  hewn  two  or  three 
strokes,  they  began  to  see  the  oak  grow,  and  so 
the  King's  men  seized  him  too,  bound  him 
hand  and  foot,  and  put  him  out  on  the  island. 

And  now  Boots  was  to  try. 

"You  can  save  yourself  the  trouble,  we'll 
bind  you  and  send  you  off  after  your  brothers 
just  as  well  first  as  last,"  laughed  the  King's 
men. 

"Well,  I'd  just  like  to  try  first,"  said  Boots, 
and  so  he  got  leave.  Then  he  took  his  axe  out 
of  his  wallet  and  fitted  it  to  its  haft. 

"Hew  away!"  said  he  to  his  axe;  and  away 
it  hewed,  making  the  chips  fly,  so  that  it 
wasn't  long  before  down  came  the  oak. 

When  that  was  done  Boots  pulled  out  his 
spade  and  fitted  it  to  its  handle. 

"Dig  away!"  said  he  to  the  spade;  and  the 
spade  began  to  dig  and  delve  till  the  earth  and 
rock  flew  out  in  splinters,  and  he  had  the  well 


62  Boots  and  His  Brothers 

soon  dug  out,  as  you  may  believe. 

And  when  he  had  got  it  as  big  and  deep  as  he 
chose,  Boots  took  out  his  walnut  and  laid  it  in 
one  corner  of  the  well,  and  pulled  the  plug  of 
moss  out. 

"Trickle  and  run,"  said  Boots;  and  so  the 
water  trickled  and  ran,  till  it  gushed  out  of  the 
hole  in  a  stream,  and  in  a  short  time  the  well 
was  brimful. 

Then  Boots  had  felled  the  oak  which  shaded 
the  King's  palace,  and  dug  a  well  that  held 
water  all  the  year  around,  and  so  he  got  the 
princess  and  half  the  kingdom,  as  the  King 
had  said.  And  it  was  lucky  for  Peter  and 
Paul  that  they  were  on  the  barren  island,  else 
they  had  heard  each  day  and  hour  how  every 
one  said:  "Well,  after  all,  Boots  did  not  won- 
der about  things  for  nothing." 


The  Lad  Who  Went  to  the 
North    Wind 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  an  old  widow 
who  had  one  son,  and  as  she  was  feeble 
and  weak,  she  asked  her  son  to  go  out 
to  the  storehouse  and  fetch  meal  for  cooking. 
But  when  he  got  outside  the  storehouse,  and 
was  just  going  down  the  steps,  there  came  the 
North  Wind,  puffing  and  blowing,  caught  up 
the  meal,  and  away  with  it  through  the  air. 
Then  the  lad  went  back  into  the  storehouse  for 
more;  but  when  he  came  out  again  on  the 
steps,  the  North  Wind  came  again  and  carried 
off  the  meal  with  a  puffi;  and  more  than  that, 
he  did  it  the  third  time.  At  this  the  lad  got 
very  angry;  and  as  it  seemed  hard  that  the 
North  Wind  should  behave  so,  he  thought  he 
would  go  in  search  of  him  and  ask  him  to  give 
up  his  meal. 

So  off  he  went,  but  the  way  was  long,  and  he 
walked  and  walked.  At  last  he  came  to  the 
North  Wind's  house. 

63 


64  The  Lad  Who  Went  to 


" Good-day!"  said  the  lad,  "and  thank  you 
for  coming  to  see  us." 

"Good-day,"  answered  the  North  Wind,  and 
his  voice  was  loud  and  gruff,  "and  thanks  for 
coming  to  see  me.   What  do  you  want  % ' ' 

"Oh,"  answered  the  lad,  "I  only  wished  to 
ask  you  to  be  so  good  as  to  let  me  have  back 
the  meal  you  took  from  me  on  the  storehouse 
steps,  for  we  haven't  much  to  live  on;  and  if 
you're  to  go  on  snapping  up  the  morsel  we 
have,  there'll  be  nothing  for  it  but  to  starve." 

"I  haven't  your  meal,"  said  the  North 
Wind;  "but  since  you  are  in  such  need,  I'll 
give  you  a  table  cloth  which  will  get  you  every- 
thing you  want.  You  need  only  say,  '  Cloth, 
spread  yourself,  and  serve  up  all  kinds  of  good 
dishes!'  " 

With  this  the  lad  was  well  content.  But,  as 
the  way  was  long  he  could  not  get  home  in  one 
day,  so  he  turned  into  an  inn  on  the  way;  and 
when  they  were  going  to  sit  down  to  supper  he 
laid  the  cloth  on  the  table  which  stood  in  the 
corner,  and  said, — 


The  North  Wind  65 

"Cloth,  spread  yourself,  and  serve  up  all 
kinds  of  good  dishes." 

He  had  scarcely  said  this  before  the  cloth 
did  as  it  was  bid,  and  all  who  stood  by  thought 
it  a  fine  thing,  but  most  of  all  the  landlord.  So, 
when  all  were  fast  asleep,  at  dead  of  night,  he 
took  the  lad's  cloth,  and  put  another  like  it  in 
its  stead.  But  this  could  not  so  much  as  serve 
up  a  bit  of  dry  bread. 

When  the  lad  woke  he  took  the  cloth  and 
went  off  with  it,  and  that  day  he  got  home  to 
his  mother. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "I've  been  to  the  North 
Wind's  house,  and  a  good  fellow  he  is,  for  he 
gave  me  this  cloth  and  when  I  only  say  to  it, 
'Cloth,  spread  yourself,  and  serve  up  all 
kinds  of  good  dishes,'  I  get  every  sort  of  food 
I  please." 

"All  very  true,  I  dare  say,"  said  the  mother, 
"but  seeing  is  believing." 

So  the  lad  made  haste,  drew  out  a  table,  laid 
the  cloth  on  it,  and  said, — 


66  The  Lad  Who  Went  to 

"  Cloth,  spread  yourself,  and  serve  up  all 
kinds  of  good  dishes." 

But  not  even  a  bit  of  dry  bread  did  the  cloth 
serve  up. 

"Well!"  said  the  lad,  "there's  no  help  for  it 
but  to  go  to  the  North  Wind  again,"  and  away 
he  went. 

So,  late  in  the  afternoon,  he  came  to  where 
the  North  Wind  lived. 

"Good  evening!"  said  the  lad. 

"Good  evening!"  said  the  North  Wind. 

"I  want  my  rights  for  that  meal  of  ours 
which  you  took,"  said  the  lad,  "for,  as  for  that 
cloth  I  got,  it  isn't  worth  a  penny." 

"I  have  no  meal,"  said  the  North  Wind: 
"but  you  may  have  the  ram  yonder  which  will 
coin  gold  ducats  when  you  say  to  it, — 

"Ram,  ram!  make  money!" 

The  lad  thought  this  a  fine  thing;  but  as  it 
was  too  far  to  get  home  that  day,  he  turned  in 
for  the  night  to  the  same  inn  where  he  had 
slept  the  first  time. 

Before  he  called  for  anything,  he  tried  what 


The  North  Wind  67 

the  North  Wind  had  said  of  the  ram,  and 
found  it  all  true.  When  the  landlord  saw  this. 
he  thought  it  a  fine  ram,  and  when  the  lad  had 
fallen  asleep,  he  took  another  which  could  not 
coin  even  a  penny,  and  exchanged  the  two. 

Next  morning  off  went  the  lad,  and  when  he 
got  home  to  his  mother,  he  said, — 

''After  all,  the  North  Wind  is  a  jolly  fellow, 
for  now  he  has  given  me  a  ram,  which  will  coin 
golden  ducats  if  I  only  say,  'Ram,  ram!  make 
money!'  " 

"All  very  true,  I  dare  say,"  said  his  mother, 
"but  I  shan't  believe  it  until  I  see  the  ducats 
made." 

"Ram,  ram!  make  money!"  said  the  lad;  but 
not  even  a  penny  did  the  ram  coin. 

So  the  lad  went  back  to  the  North  Wind  and 
scolded  him,  and  said  the  ram  was  worth  noth- 
ing, and  he  must  have  his  rights  for  the  meal. 

"Well!"  said  the  North  Wind,  "I've  nothing 
else  to  give  you  but  that  old  stick  in  the  corner 
yonder;  but  it's  a  stick  of  such  a  kind  that  if 


68  The  Lad  Who  Went  to 

you  say,  *  Stick,  stick !  lay  on !  it  lays  on  till  you 
say, — 'Stick,  stick!  now  stop!'  " 

So  the  lad  thanked  the  North  Wind  and 
went  his  way,  and  as  the  road  was  long,  he 
turned  in  this  night  also  to  the  landlord;  but 
as  he  could  guess  pretty  well  how  things  stood 
as  to  the  cloth  and  the  ram,  he  lay  down  at 
once  on  the  bench  and  began  to  snore,  as  if  he 
were  asleep.  Now  the  landlord  who  thought 
surely  the  stick  must  be  worth  something, 
hunted  up  one  which  was  like  it,  and  when  he 
heard  the  lad  snore  he  was  going  to  exchange 
the  two;  but,  just  as  the  landlord  was  about  to 
take  it,  the  lad  called  out, — 

"Stick,  stick!  lay  on!" 

So  the  stick  began  to  beat  the  landlord,  till 
he  jumped  over  chairs  and  tables  and  benches, 
and  yelled  and  roared, — 

"Oh  my,  oh  my!  bid  the  stick  be  still,  else 
it  will  beat  me  to  death.  You  shall  have  back 
both  your  cloth  and  your  ram." 

"When  the  lad  thought  the  landlord  had  had 
enough,  he  said,  "Stick,  stick!  now  stop!" 


The  North  Wind  69 

Then  he  took  the  cloth  and  put  it  into  his 
pocket,  and  went  home  with  his  stick  in  his 
hand,  leading  the  ram  by  a  cord  tied  around  its 
horns ;  and  so  he  got  his  rights  for  the  meal  he 
had  lost. 


The  Giant  Who  Had  No  Heart 
in  His   Body 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  King  who 
had  seven  sons.  Six  of  them  were  stout, 
brave  lads,  but  the  youngest  was  the 
cinderlad,  you  must  know;  and  he  went  about 
by  himself  neither  saying  nor  doing  much. 
Best  of  all  he  liked  to  sit  by  the  hearth  and 
watch  the  glowing  cinders,  so  they  called  him 
Boots,  and  thought  little  of  him. 

Now,  when  the  Princes  were  grown  up,  the 
six  were  to  set  off  to  fetch  brides  for  them- 
selves. As  for  Boots,  they  would  not  be  seen 
with  him,  so  he  was  to  stay  at  home;  but  the 
others  were  to  bring  back  a  bride  for  him,  if 
any  could  be  found  willing  to  marry  such  a 
one.  The  King  gave  the  six  the  finest  clothes 
you  ever  set  eyes  upon,  so  fine  that  the  light 
gleamed  from  them  a  long  way  off;  and  each 
had  his  horse,  which  cost  many,  many  hundred 
dollars,  and  so  they  set  off.  Now,  when  they 
had  been  to  many  palaces,  and  seen  many  prin- 

71 


72  The  Giant  Who  Had 

cesses,  they  came  to  a  king  who  had  six  daugh- 
ters. Such  lovely  king's  daughters  they  had 
never  seen,  and  so  they  asked  them  to  be  their 
brides,  and  when  they  had  got  them,  they  set 
off  home  again.  But  they  quite  forgot  that 
they  were  to  bring  back  a  bride  for  Boots,  their 
brother,  who  was  staying  at  home. 

When  they  had  gone  a  good  bit  on  their  way, 
they  passed  close  by  a  steep  hillside,  like  a 
wall,  where  was  a  giant's  house.  Out  came  the 
giant  and  set  his  eyes  upon  them,  and  turned 
them  all  into  stone,  princes,  princesses  and  all. 
Now,  the  king  waited  and  waited  for  his  six 
sons,  but  so  long  as  he  waited  so  long  they 
stayed  away;  so  he  fell  into  great  grief,  and 
said  he  would  never  know  what  it  was  to  be 
happy  again. 

One  day  Boots  said  to  the  King, — 

"I've  been  thinking  to  ask  your  leave  to  set 
out  and  find  my  brothers." 

"Nay,  nay!"  said  his  father,  "that  would  be 
of  no  use,  for  you  are  not  clever  enough.  Bet- 
ter stay  and  dig  in  the  ashes  all  your  life." 


No  Heart  in  His  Body  73 

But  Boots  had  set  his  heart  upon  it.  Go  he 
would;  and  he  begged  and  pleaded  so  long  that 
the  King  was  forced  to  let  him  go.  He  gave 
Boots  an  old  broken-down  nag;  but  Boots  did 
not  care  a  pin  for  that,  he  sprang  up  on  his 
sorry  old  steed. 

"Farewell,  Father,"  he  said,  "I'll  come 
back,  never  fear,  and  likely  enough  I  shall 
bring  my  six  brothers  back  with  me,"  and 
with  that  he  rode  off. 

When  he  had  ridden  a  while  he  came  to  a 
raven,  which  lay  in  the  road  and  flapped  its 
wings,  and  was  not  able  to  get  out  of  the  wTay, 
it  was  so  starved. 

"Oh,  dear  friend,"  said  the  raven,  "give 
me  a  little  food,  and  I'll  help  you  again  at  your 
utmost  need." 

"I  haven't  much  food,"  said  the  Prince, 
"and  I  don't  see  how  you'll  ever  be  able  to 
help  me;  but  still  I  can  spare  you  a  little.  I 
see  you  need  it." 

So  he  gave  the  raven  some  of  the  food  he  had 
brought  with  him. 


74  The  Giant  Who  Had 

Now,  when  he  had  gone  a  little  farther,  he 
came  to  a  brook,  and  in  the  brook  lay  a  great 
salmon  which  had  got  upon  a  dry  place  and 
dashed  itself  about,  and  could  not  get  into  the 
water  again. 

"Oh,  dear  friend,''  said  the  salmon  to  the 
Prince;  "help  me  out  into  the  water  again,  and 
I'll  help  you  at  your  utmost  need." 

"Well!"  said  the  Prince,  "the  help  you'll 
give  me  will  not  be  great,  I  daresay,  but  it's  a 
pity  you  should  be  there  and  choke ; ' '  and  with 
that  he  shot  the  fish  out  into  the  stream  again. 

After  that  he  went  on  a  long,  long  way,  and 
there  met  him  a  wolf,  which  was  so  famished 
that  it  lay  and  crawled  along  the  road. 

"Dear  friend,  do  let  me  have  some  food," 
said  the  wolf,  "I'm  so  hungry  that  the  wind 
whistles  through  my  ribs.  I've  had  nothing  to 
eat  these  two  years.  When  I  have  eaten,  you 
can  ride  upon  my  back,  and  I'll  help  you  again 
in  your  utmost  need." 

"Well,  the  help  I  shall  get  from  you  will  not 
be  great,  I'll  be  bound,"  said  the  Prince;  "but 


Never  had  the  prince  had  such  a  ride  in  his  life 


No  Heart  in  His  Body  77 

you  may  take  all  I  have,  since  you  are  in  such 
great  need. ' ' 

So  when  the  wolf  had  eaten  the  food.  Boots 
took  the  bit  and  put  it  between  the  wolf's 
jaws,  and  laid  the  saddle  on  his  back;  and 
away  they  went  like  the  wind.  Never  had  the 
Prince  had  such  a  ride  before. 

"When  we  have  gone  still  farther,"  said 
Graylegs,  "I'll  show  you  the  Giant's  house." 

And  after  a  while  they  came  to  it. 

"See,  here  is  the  Giant's  house,"  said  the 
Wolf;  "and  see,  here  are  your  six  brothers 
whom  the  Giant  has  turned  to  stone ;  and  see, 
here  are  their  six  brides.  Yonder  is  the  door, 
and  in  at  that  door  you  must  go.  When  you 
get  in  you'll  find  a  princess,  and  she'll  tell  you 
what  to  do  to  make  an  end  of  the  Giant.  Only 
mind  you  do  as  she  bids  you." 

Well!  Boots  went  in,  but,  truth  to  say,  he 
was  very  much  afraid.  The  Giant  was  away, 
but  in  one  of  the  rooms  sat  the  Princess,  just 
as  the  wolf  had  said,  and  so  lovely  a  princess 
Boots  had  never  set  eyes  upon. 


78  The  Giant  Who  Had 

"Oh,  heaven  help  you!  whence  have  you 
come?"  said  the  Princess,  as  she  saw  him;  "it 
will  surely  be  your  death.  No  one  can  make 
an  end  of  the  Giant  who  lives  here.  He  is  a 
most  cruel  monster,  and  he  has  no  heart  in  his 
body." 

"Well!  well!"  said  Boots;  "but  now  that  I 
am  here,  I  may  as  well  try  what  I  can  do  with 
him,  and  I  will  see  if  I  can't  free  my  brothers, 
who  have  been  turned  to  stone;  and  you,  too, 
I  will  try  to  save,  that  I  will." 

"Well,  if  you  must,  you  must,"  said  the 
Princess;  "so  let  us  see  if  we  can't  hit  upon  a 
plan.  Just  creep  under  the  bed  yonder,  and 
mind  you  listen  to  what  he  and  I  talk  about. 
But,  pray,  do  lie  as  still  as  a  mouse." 

So  he  crept  under  the  bed,  and  he  had  scarce 
got  well  underneath,  before  the  Giant  came. 

"Ha!"  roared  the  Giant,  "what  a  smell  of 
Christian  blood  there  is  in  the  house." 

"Yes,  I  know  there  is,"  said  the  Princess, 
"for  there  came  a  crow  flying  with  a  man's 
bone,  and  let  it  fall  down  the  chimney.    I  made 


No  Heart  in  His  Body  79 

all  the  haste  I  could  to  get  it  out,  but  all  one 
can  do  the  smell  doesn't  go  so  soon." 

So  the  Giant  said  no  more  about  it,  and 
wiien  night  came  they  went  to  bed.  After  they 
had  lain  a  while  the  Princess  said,  "There  is 
one  thing  I'd  be  glad  to  ask  you  about,  if  I  only 
dared. ' ' 

"What  thing  is  that?"  asked  the  Giant. 

"Only  this,  where  do  you  keep  your  heart, 
since  you  don't  carry  it  about  you,"  said  the 
Princess. 

"Ah!  that's  a  thing  you've  no  business  to 
ask  about :  but  if  vou  must  know,  it  lies  under 
the  door  sill."  said  the  Giant. 

"Ho,  ho!"  said  Boots  to  himself  under  the 
bed.  "then  we'll  soon  see  if  we  can't  find  it." 

Next  morning  the  Giant  got  up  very  early, 
and  strode  off  to  the  wood;  but  he  was  hardly 
out  of  the  house  before  Boots  and  the  Princess 
set  to  work  to  look  under  the  door  sill  for  this 
heart;  but  the  more  they  dug  and  the  more 
they  hunted  the  more  they  couldn't  find  it. 


80  The  Giant  Who  Had 

"He  has  balked  us  this  time,"  said  the  Prin- 
cess, "but  we'll  try  him  once  more." 

So  she  picked  all  the  prettiest  flowers  she 
could  find,  and  strewed  them  over  the  door 
sill,  which  they  had  laid  in  its  right  place 
again;  and  when  the  time  came  for  the  Giant 
to  come  home,  Boots  crept  under  the  bed.  Just 
as  he  was  well  under  back  came  the  Giant. 

Snuff-snuff  went  the  Giant's  nose.  "My 
eyes  and  limbs,  what  a  smell  of  Christian  blood 
there  is  in  here,"  said  he. 

"I  know  there  is,"  said  the  Princess,  "for 
there  came  a  crow  flying  with  a  man's  bone  in 
his  bill,  and  let  it  fall  down  the  chimney.  I 
made  as  much  haste  as  I  could  to  get  it  out,  but 
I  dare  say  it's  that  you  smell." 

So  the  Giant  held  his  peace  and  said  no  more 
about  it.  A  little  while  after,  he  asked  who  it 
was  that  had  strewed  flowers  about  the  door 
sill. 

"Oh,  I,  of  course,"  said  the  Princess. 

"And,  pray,  what  is  the  meaning  of  all 
this?"  said  the  Giant. 


No  Heart  in  His  Body  81 

"Ah!"  said  the  Princess,  "I  strewed  them 
there  when  I  knew  your  heart  lay  under 
there." 

"You  don't  say  so,"  said  the  Giant;  "but 
after  all  it  doesn't  lie  there  at  all." 

So  when  they  went  to  bed  in  the  evening, 
the  Princess  asked  the  Giant  again  where  his. 
heart  was,  for  she  said  she  would  so  much  like 
to  know. 

"Well,"  said  the  Giant,  "if  you  must  know, 
it  lies  away  yonder  in  the  cupboard  against 
the  wall." 

"So,  so!"  thought  Boots  and  the  Princess; 
"then  we  will  soon  find  it." 

Next  morning  the  Giant  was  away  early, 
and  strode  off  to  the  wood.  As  soon  as  he  was 
gone,  Boots  and  the  Princess  were  in  the  cup- 
board hunting  for  the  heart,  but  the  more  they 
looked  for  it  the  less  they  found  it. 

"Well,"  said  the  Princess,  "we'll  just  try 
him  once  more." 

So  she  decked  the  cupboard  with  flowers  and 
garlands,  and  when  the  time  came  for  the 


82  The  Giant  Who  Had 

Giant  to  come  home,  Boots  crept  under  the 
bed  again. 

Then  back  came  the  Giant. 

Snuff-snuff!  "My  eyes  and  limbs,  what  a 
smell  of  Christian  blood  there  is  in  here!" 

"I  know  there  is,"  said  the  Princess,  "for 
a  little  while  since  there  came  a  crow  flying 
with  a  man's  bone  in  his  bill,  and  let  it  fall 
down  the  chimney.  I  made  all  the  haste  I 
could  to  get  it  out  of  the  house;  but  after  all 
my  pains  I  dare  say  it's  that  you  smell." 

When  the  Giant  heard  that  he  said  no  more 
about  it,  but  after  a  while  he  saw  how  the  cup- 
board was  all  decked  about  with  flowers  and 
garlands;  and  he  asked  who  it  was  that  had 
done  that.    Who  could  it  be  but  the  Princess? 

"And,  pray  what's  the  meaning  of  all  this 
foolishness?"  asked  the  Giant. 

"Oh,  I  couldn't  help  doing  it  when  I  knew 
your  heart  lay  there,"  said  the  Princess. 

"How  can  you  be  so  silly  as  to  believe  any 
such  thing?"  said  the  Giant. 


No  Heart  in  His  Body  83 

1  'How  can  I  help  believing  it,  when  you  say 
it?"  said  the  Princess. 

"You're  a  goose,"  said  the  Giant;  "where 
my  heart  is,  you  will  never  come. ' ' 

"Yet  for  all  that,"  said  the  Princess,  "it 
would  be  such  a  pleasure  to  know  where  it 
really  lies." 

Then  the  poor  Giant  could  hold  out  no 
longer,  but  said, — 

"Far,  far  away  in  a  lake  lies  an  island;  on 
that  island  stands  a  church;  in  that  church  is 
a  well;  in  that  well  swims  a  duck;  in  that  duck 
there  is  an  egg,  and  in  that  egg  there  lies  my 
heart." 

In  the  morning  early,  while  it  was  still  gray 
dawn,  the  Giant  strode  off  to  the  wood. 

"Now  I  must  set  off  too,"  said  Boots;  "if 
I  only  knew  how  to  find  the  way."  He  took  a 
long  farewell  of  the  Princess,  and  when  he 
slipped  out  of  the  Giant's  door,  there  stood  the 
Wolf  waiting  for  him.  Boots  told  him  all  that 
had  happened,  and  said  now  he  wished  to  ride 
to  the  well  inside  the  church,  if  only  he  knew 


84  The  Giant  Who  Had 

the  way.  The  Wolf  bade  him  jump  on  his 
back,  and  away  they  went,  over  hill  and  dale, 
over  hedge  and  field,  till  the  wind  whistled 
after  them.  After  they  had  travelled  many, 
many  days,  they  came  at  last  to  the  lake.  Then 
the  Prince  did  not  know  how  to  get  across,  but 
the  Wolf  bade  him  not  to  be  afraid,  but  to  hold 
fast.  So  he  jumped  into  the  lake  with  the 
Prince  on  his  back,  and  swam  over  to  the 
island.  When  they  came  to  the  church,  the 
church  keys  hung  high,  high  up  on  the  top  of 
the  tower,  and  the  Prince  knew  not  how  to  get 
them  down. 

"Call  upon  the  raven,"  said  the  Wolf. 

So  the  Prince  called  upon  the  raven,  and 
immediately  the  raven  came,  and  flew  up  and 
fetched  the  keys,  and  so  the  Prince  got  into 
the  church.  When  he  came  to  the  well,  there 
was  the  duck,  which  swam  about  forward  and 
backward,  just  as  the  Giant  had  said.  So  the 
Prince  stood  and  coaxed  it  and  coaxed  it,  till 
finally  it  came  to  him,  and  he  grasped  it  in  his 
hand;  but  just  as  he  lifted  it  up  from  the  water 


No  Heart  in  His  Body  85 

the  duck  dropped  the  egg  in  the  well,  and  then 
Boots  was  beside  himself  to  know  how  to  get 
it  out  again. 

"Now  call  upon  the  salmon,"  said  the  Wolf, 
and  Boots  called  upon  the  salmon,  and  the 
salmon  came  and  fetched  up  the  egg  from  the 
bottom  of  the  well. 

Then  the  Wolf  told  him  to  squeeze  the  egg, 
and  as  soon  as  he  squeezed  the  egg,  the  Giant 
screamed  and  begged  and  prayed  to  be  spared, 
saying  he  would  do  all  that  the  Prince  wished 
if  he  would  only  not  squeeze  his  heart  in  two. 

"Tell  him  to  restore  to  life  again  your  six 
brothers  and  their  brides,  whom  he  has  turned 
to  stone,"  said  the  Wolf.  Yes,  the  Giant  was 
ready  to  do  that,  and  he  tinned  the  six 
brothers  into  king's  sons  again,  and  their 
brides  into  king's  daughters. 

Then  Boots  left  the  Giant's  heart  on  the 
altar  of  the  church.  That  took  all  the  evil 
power  from  the  cruel  Giant,  and  I  have  never 
heard  of  him  since. 

And  now,  Boots  rode  back  again  on  the  Wolf 


86  The  Giant  Who  Had  No  Heart 

to  the  Giant's  house,  and  there  stood  all  his 
six  brothers  alive  and  merry  with  their  brides. 
Then  Boots  went  into  the  hillside  after  his 
bride,  and  they  all  set  off  home  again  to  their 
father's  house.  And  you  may  fancy  how  glad 
the  old  King  was  when  he  saw  his  seven  sons 
come  back,  each  with  his  bride; — "But  the 
loveliest  bride  is  the  bride  of  Boots,  after  all," 
said  the  King,  "and  he  shall  sit  highest  at  the 
table,  with  her  by  his  side." 

So  they  had  a  great  wedding  feast,  and  the 
inirth  was  both  loud  and  long,  and  if  they  have 
not  done  feasting,  why  they  are  at  it  still. 


The  Sheep  and  the  Pig  Who 
Set  Up  Housekeeping 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  sheep  who 
stood  in  the  pen  to  be  fattened. 
So  he  lived  well  and  was  stuffed  and 
crammed  with  everything  that  was  good,  till 
one  day  the  dairymaid  came  to  give  him  still 
more  food.  Then  she  said,  "Eat  away,  sheep, 
you  won't  be  here  much  longer,  we  are  going 
to  kill  you  to-morrow." 

The  sheep  thought  over  this  for  a  while,  and 
then  he  ate  till  he  was  ready  to  burst;  and 
when  he  was  crammed  full,  he  butted  out  the 
door  of  the  pen,  and  took  his  way  to  the  neigh- 
boring farm.  There  he  went  to  see  a  pig  whom 
he  had  known  out  on  the  common,  and  with 
whom  he  had  always  been  very  friendly. 

"Good-day,"  said  the  sheep,  "do  you  know 
why  it  is  you  are  so  well  off,  and  why  it  is 
they  fatten  you  and  take  such  pains  with 
you?" 

87 


88  The  Sheep  and  the  Pig 

'•No,  I  don't,"  said  the  pig. 

"Well,  I  know;  they  are  going  to  kill  and 
eat  you,"  said  the  sheep. 

"Are  they?"  said  the  pig,  "and  what  is 
there  to  be  done  about  it?" 

"If  you  will  do  as  I  do,"  said  the  sheep, 
"we'll  go  off  to  the  wood,  build  us  a  house, 
and  set  up  for  ourselves." 

Yes,  the  pig  was  willing  enough.  "Good 
company  is  such  a  comfort,"  he  said,  and  so 
the  two  set  off. 

When  they  had  gone  a  bit  they  met  a  goose. 

"Good-day,  good  sirs,  and  whither  away  so 
fast  to-day?"  said  the  goose. 

"Good-day,  good-day,"  said  the  sheep,  "we 
are  going  to  set  up  for  ourselves  in  the  wood, 
for  you  know  every  man's  house  is  his  castle." 

"Well,"  said  the  goose,  "I  should  so  much 
like  a  home  of  my  own,  too.  May  I  go  with 
you?" 

"With  gossip  and  gabble  is  built  neither 
house  nor  stable,"  said  the  pig,  "let  us  know 
what  you  can  do." 


Who  Set  Up  Housekeeping  89 

"I  can  pluck  moss  and  stuff  it  into  the  seams 
between  the  planks,  and  the  house  will  be  tight 
and  warm. ' ' 

Yes,  they  would  give  him  leave,  for,  above 
all  things,  piggy  wished  to  be  warm  and  com- 
fortable. 

So,  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  farther — the 
goose  had  hard  work  to  walk  so  fast — they 
met  a  hare,  who  came  frisking  out  of  the  wood. 

"Good-day,  good  sirs,"  she  said,  "how  far 
are  you  trotting  to-day?" 

"Good-day,  good-day,"  said  the  sheep, 
"we're  going  to  the  wood  to  build  us  a  house 
and  set  up  for  ourselves,  for,  you  know,  try 
all  the  world  around,  there's  nothing  like 
home." 

"As  for  that,"  said  the  hare,  "I  have  a 
house  in  every  bush,  but  yet,  I  have  often  said 
in  winter,  'If  I  only  live  till  summer  I'll  build 
me  a  house,'  and  so  I  have  half  a  mind  to  go 
with  you  and  build  one,  after  all." 

"Yes,"  said  the  pig,  "if  we  ever  get  into 
trouble  we  might  use  you  to  scare  away  the 


90  The  Sheep  and  the  Pig 

dogs,  for  I  don't  fancy  you  could  help  us  in 
house-building. ' ' 

"Don't  make  fun  of  me.  I  have  teeth  to 
gnaw  pegs  and  paws  to  drive  them  into  the 
wall,  so  I  can  very  well  set  up  to  be  carpen- 
ter," said  the  hare. 

So  he  too  got  leave  to  go  with  them  and 
help  to  build  their  house,  and  there  was 
nothing  more  to  be  said  about  it. 

When  they  had  gone  a  bit  farther  they  met 
a  cock. 

"Good-day,  good  sirs,"  said  the  cock, 
"whither  are  you  going  to-day,  gentlemen?" 

"Good-day,  good-day,"  said  the  sheep,  "we 
are  going  off  to  the  wood  to  build  a  house  and 
set  up  for  ourselves,  for  you  know,  '  'Tis  good 
to  travel  east  and  west,  but  after  all  a  home 
is  best.'  " 

"Well,"  said  the  cock,  "if  I  might  have 
leave  to  join  such  a  gallant  company,  I  also 
would  like  to  go  to  the  wood  and  build  a 
house." 


Who  Set  Up  Housekeeping  91 

"Ay,  ay!"  said  the  pig,  "but  how  can  you 
help  us  build  a  house?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  cock,  "what  would  you  do 
without  a  cock?  I  am  up  early,  and  I  wake 
every  one." 

"Very  true,"  said  the  pig,  "let  him  come 
with  us.  Sleep  is  the  biggest  thief,"  he  said, 
"he  thinks  nothing  of  stealing  half  one's  life." 

So  they  all  set  off  to  the  wood  together,  and 
built  a  house. 

The  pig  hewed  the  timber,  and  the  sheep 
drew  it  home;  the  hare  was  carpenter,  and 
gnawed  pegs  and  bolts  and  hammered  them 
into  the  walls  and  roof;  the  goose  plucked 
moss  and  stuffed  it  into  the  seams;  the  cock 
crew,  and  looked  out  that  they  did  not  over- 
sleep themselves  in  the  morning;  and  when 
the  house  was  ready,  and  the  roof  lined  with 
birch  bark  and  thatched  with  turf,  there  they 
lived  by  themselves  and  were  merry  and  well. 

But  you  must  know  that  a  bit  farther  on  in 
the  wood  was  a  wolf's  den,  and  there  lived 
two  graylegs.     When  they  saw  that  a  new 


92  The  Sheep  and  the  Pig 

house  had  been  built  near  by,  they  wanted 
to  become  acquainted  with  their  neighbors. 
One  of  them  made  up  an  errand  and  went 
into  the  new  house  and  asked  for  a  light  for 
his  pipe.  But  as  soon  as  he  got  inside  the 
door  the  sheep  gave  him  such  a  butt  that  he 
fell  head  foremost  into  the  hearth.  Then  the 
pig  began  to  bite  him,  and  the  goose  to  nip 
and  peck  him,  and  the  cock  upon  the  roost  to 
crow  and  chatter,  and  as  for  the  hare,  he  was 
so  frightened  that  he  ran  about  aloft  and  on 
the  floor  and  scratched  and  scrambled  in  every 
corner  of  the  house. 

So  after  a  time  the  wolf  came  out. 

"Well,"  said  the  one  who  waited  for  him 
outside,  "you  must  have  been  well  received 
since  you  stayed  so  long.  But  what  became 
of  the  light?  You  have  neither  pipe  nor 
smoke." 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  the  other,  "a  pleasant  com- 
pany indeed.  As  soon  as  I  got  inside  the 
door,  the  shoemaker  began  to  beat  me  with 
his  last,  so  that  I  fell  head  foremost  into  the 


Who  Set  Up  Housekeeping  93 

open  fire,  and  there  sat  two  smiths  who  blew 
the  bellows,  and  made  the  sparks  fly,  and 
struck  and  punched  me  with  red-hot  tongs  and 
pincers.  As  for  the  hunter,  he  went  scram- 
bling about  looking  for  his  gun,  and  it  was 
good  luck  he  did  not  find  it.  And  all  the  while 
there  was  another  who  sat  up  under  the  roof 
and  slapped  his  arms  and  cried  out,  'Drag  him 
hither,  drag  him  hither!'  That  was  what  he 
screamed,  and  if  he  had  only  got  hold  of  me, 
I  should  never  have  come  out  alive." 

The  wolves  never  went  calling  on  their 
neighbors  any  more. 


The  Parson  and  the  Clerk 

THERE  was  once  a  parson  who  was  such 
a  bully  that  whenever  he  met  anyone 
driving  on  the  king's  highway,  he 
called  out,  ever  so  far  off — "Out  of  the  way! 
Out  of  the  way!   Here  comes  the  parson!" 

One  day  when  he  was  driving  along  and 
behaving  so,  he  met  the  king.  "Out  of  the 
way!  Out  of  the  way!"  he  bawled  a  long  way 
off.  But  the  king  drove  on  and  held  his  own; 
so  it  was  the  parson  who  had  to  turn  his  horse 
aside  that  time,  and  when  the  king  came  up 
beside  him,  he  said,  "To-morrow  you  shall 
come  to  me  at  the  palace,  and  if  you  can't 
answer  three  questions  which  I  shall  ask  you, 
you  shall  lose  your  office  for  your  pride's 
sake." 

This  was  something  quite  different  from 
what  the  parson  was  wont  to  hear.  He  could 
bawl  and  bully,  shout  and  scold.  All  that  he 
could  do,  but  question  and  answer  were  not 

95 


96  The  Parson  and  the  Clerk 

in  his  line.  So  lie  set  off  to  the  clerk,  who 
was  said  to  be  worth  more  than  the  parson, 
and  told  him  he  had  no  mind  to  go  to  the  king. 
"For  one  fool  can  ask  more  than  ten  wise  men 
can  answer;"  and  the  end  was,  he  got  the 
clerk  to  go  in  his  place. 

Yes,  the  clerk  set  off  and  came  to  the  pal- 
ace in  the  parson's  clothes.  There  the  king 
met  him  out  on  the  porch  with  crown  and 
sceptre,  and  he  was  so  grand  he  fairly  glit- 
tered and  gleamed.  "Well,  are  you  there?" 
said  the  king. 

"Tell  me  first,"  said  the  king,  "how  far  the 
east  is  from  the  west?" 

"Just  a  day's  journey,"  said  the  clerk. 

"How  is  that?"  asked  the  king. 

"Don't  you  know,"  said  the  clerk,  "that  the 
sun  rises  in  the  east  and  sets  in  the  west,  and 
he  does  it  just  nicely  in  a  day?" 

"Very  well!"  said  the  king,  "but  tell  me 
now  what  you  think  I  am  worth,  as  you  see 
me  stand  here?" 

"Well,"  said  the  clerk,  "our  Lord  was  val- 


The  Parson  and  the  Clerk  97 

ued  at  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  so  I  don't  think 
I  can  set  your  price  higher  than  twenty-nine. " 

"All  very  fine!"  said  the  king,  "but,  as  you 
are  so  wise,  perhaps  you  can  tell  me  what  I 
am  thinking  about  now?" 

"Oh!"  said  the  clerk,  "you  are  thinking 
it's  the  parson  who  stands  before  you,  but 
there's  where  you  are  mistaken,  for  I  am  the 
clerk." 

"Be  off  home  with  you,"  said  the  king,  "and 
be  you  parson,  and  let  him  be  clerk."  And  so 
it  was. 


Father   Bruin 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  who 
lived  far,  far  away  in  the  wood.  He 
had  many,  many  goats  and  sheep,  but 
never  a  one  could  he  keep  because  of  Grey- 
legs,  the  wolf. 

At  last  he  said,  "I'll  soon  trap  Greyboots," 
and  so  he  set  to  work  to  dig  a  pitfall.  When 
he  had  dug  it  deep  enough,  he  put  a  pole  down 
in  the  midst  of  the  pit,  and  on  the  top  of  thc- 
pole  he  set  a  board,  and  on  the  board  he  put 
a  little  dog.  Over  the  pit  itself  he  spread 
boughs  and  branches  and  leaves,  and  other 
rubbish,  and  a-top  of  all  he  strewed  snow,  so 
that  Greylegs  might  not  see  that  there  was  a 
pit  underneath. 

So  when  night  came  on,  the  little  dog  grew 
weary  of  sitting  there:  "Bow-wow,  bow- 
wow," he  said,  and  bayed  at  the  moon.  Just 
then  up  came  a  fox,  prowling  and  sneaking, 
and  thought  here  was  a  fine  time  for  market- 

99 


100  Father  Bruin 


ing,  and  with  that  gave  a  jump, — head  over 
heels  down  into  the  pitfall. 

And  when  it  got  a  little  farther  on  in  the 
night,  the  little  dog  grew  so  weary  and  so 
hungry,  and  it  fell  to  yelping  and  howling: 
"Bow-wow,  bow-wow,"  he  cried  out.  Just  at 
that  very  moment  up  came  Greylegs,  trotting 
and  trotting.  He,  too,  thought  he  should  get 
a  fat  steak,  and  he,  too,  made  a  spring — head 
over  heels  down  into  the  pitfall. 

When  it  was  getting  on  towards  grey  dawn 
in  the  morning,  down  fell  the  snow,  with  a 
north  wind,  and  it  grew  so  cold  that  the  little 
dog  stood  and  shivered  and  shook,  he  was  so 
weary  and  hungry,  "Bow-wow,  bow-wow,  bow- 
wow," he  called  out,  and  barked  and  yelped 
and  howled.  Then  up  came  a  bear,  tramping 
and  tramping  along,  and  thought  to  himself 
how  he  could  get  a  morsel  for  breakfast  at  the 
very  top  of  the  morning,  and  so  he  thought 
and  thought  among  the  boughs  and  branches, 
till  he,  too,  went  bump — head  over  heels  down 
into  the  pitfall. 


Father  Bruin  101 


So  when  it  got  a  little  farther  on  in  the 
morning,  an  old  beggar  wife  came  walking  by, 
who  toddled  from  farm  to  farm  with  a  bag  on 
her  back.  When  she  set  eyes  on  the  little  dog 
that  stood  there  and  howled,  she  could  not 
help  going  near  to  look  and  see  if  any  wild 
beasts  had  fallen  into  the  pit  during  the  night. 
So  she  crawled  up  on  her  knees  and  peeped 
down  into  it. 

"Art  thou  come  into  the  pit  at  last,  Rey- 
nard % ' '  she  said  to  the  fox,  for  he  was  the  first 
she  saw;  "a  very  good  place,  too,  for  such  a 
hen-roost  robber  as  thou;  and  thou,  too,  Grey- 
paw,"  she  said  to  the  wolf;  "many  a  goat  and 
sheep  hast  thou  torn  and  rent,  and  now  thou 
shalt  be  plagued  and  punished  to  death.  Bless 
my  heart!  Thou,  too,  Bruin!  Art  thou,  too, 
sitting  in  this  room,  thou  horse  killer?  Thee, 
too,  will  we  strip,  and  thee  shall  we  flay,  and 
thy  skull  shall  be  nailed  up  on  the  wall."  All 
this  the  old  lass  screeched  out  as  she  bent 
over  towards  the  Dear.  But  just  then  her  bag 
fell  over  her  ears  and  dragged  her  down,  and 


102  Father  Bruin 


slap!  down  went  the  old  woman — head  over 
heels  into  the  pitfall. 

So  there  they  all  four  sat  and  glared  at  one 
another,  each  in  a  corner — Reynard  in  one, 
•Grreylegs  in  another,  Bruin  in  a  third,  and  the 
old  woman  in  a  fourth. 

But  as  soon  as  it  was  broad  daylight,  Rey- 
nard began  to  peep  and  peer,  and  to  twist  and 
turn  about,  for  he  thought  he  might  as  well 
try  to  get  out. 

But  the  old  lass  cried  out,  "  Canst  thou  not 
sit  still,  thou  whirligig  thief,  and  not  go  twist- 
ing and  turning?  Only  look  at  Father  Bruin 
himself  in  the  corner,  how  he  sits  as  grave  as 
a  judge,"  for  now  she  thought  she  might  as 
well  make  friends  with  the  bear. 

But  just  then  up  came  the  man  who  owned 
the  pitfall. 

First  he  drew  up  the  old  woman,  and  after 
that  he  slew  all  the  beasts,  and  neither  spared 
Father  Bruin  himself  in  the  corner,  nor  Grey- 
legs,  nor  Reynard  the  whirligig  thief.  That 
night,  at  least,  he  thought  he  had  made  a  good 
haul. 


■  i 


-  '  '—  -  -  ! 


Look  at  Father  Bruin  himself  in  the  corner 


The    Pancake 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  woman  who 
had  seven  hungry  children,  and  she 
was  frying  a  pancake  for  them.  It  was 
a  sweet  milk  pancake,  and  there  it  lay  in  the 
pan,  bubbling  and  frizzling  so  thick  and  good, 
it  was  a  delight  to  look  at  it.  And  the  chil- 
dren stood  round  about,  and  the  old  father  sat 
by  and  looked  on. 

"Oh,  give  me  a  bit  of  pancake,  mother,  dear, 
I  am  so  hungry,"  said  one  child. 

"Oh,  darling  mother,"  said  the  second. 

' '  Oh,  darling,  good  mother, ' '  said  the  third. 

"Oh,  darling,  good,  sweet  mother,"  said  the 
fourth. 

"Oh,  darling,  pretty,  good,  sweet  mother," 
said  the  fifth. 

"Oh,  darling,  pretty,  good,  sweet,  clever 
mother,"  said  the  sixth. 

"Oh,  darling,  pretty,  good,  sweet,  clever, 
kindest  little  mother, ' '  said  the  seventh. 

10s 


106  The  Pancake 


So  they  begged  for  the  pancake  all  around, 
the  one  more  prettily  than  the  other,  for  they 
were  so  hungry  and  so  good. 

"Yes,  yes,  children,  only  bide  a  bit  till  it 
turns  itself" — she  ought  to  have  said,  'till  I 
can  get  it  turned,' — "and  then  you  shall  have 
some  lovely  sweet  milk  pancake.  Only  look 
how  fat  and  happy  it  lies  there." 

When  the  pancake  heard  all  this  it  became 
afraid,  and  in  a  trice  it  turned  itself  and  tried 
to  jump  out  of  the  pan,  but  it  fell  back  into  it 
again,  the  other  side  up.  When  it  had  been 
fried  a  little  on  the  other  side  too,  till  it  got 
firm  and  stiff,  it  jumped  out  of  the  pan  to  the 
floor  and  rolled  off  like  a  wheel  through  the 
door  and  down  the  hill. 

"Holloa!  Stop,  pancake!"  and  away  ran 
the  mother  after  it,  with  the  frying  pan  in 
one  hand  and  the  ladle  in  the  other,  as  fast 
as  she  could,  and  all  the  children  behind  her, 
while  the  old  father  on  crutches  limped  after 
them  last  of  all. 

"Hi!    Won't  you  stop?    Catch  it!     Stop, 


The  Pancake  107 


pancake!"  they  all  screamed  out,  one  after 
another,  and  tried  to  catch  it  on  the  run  and 
hold  it.  But  the  pancake  rolled  on  and  on, 
and  in  a  twinkling  of  an  eye  it  was  so  far 
ahead  that  they  couldn't  see  it. 

So  when  it  had  rolled  awhile  it  met  a  man. 

"Good-day,  pancake,"  said  the  man. 

"Good-day,  Manny  Panny!"  said  the  pan- 
cake. 

"Dear  pancake,"  said  the  man,  "don't  roll 
so  fast;  stop  a  little  and  let  me  eat  you." 

"No,  no;  I  have  run  away  from  the  mother, 
and  the  father,  and  seven  hungry  children. 
I'll  run  away  from  you,  Manny  Panny,"  said 
the  pancake,  and  it  rolled  and  rolled  till  it 
met  a  hen. 

"Good-day,  pancake,"  said  the  hen. 

"The  same  to  you,  Henny  Penny,"  said  the 
pancake. 

"Pancake,  dear,  don't  roll  so  fast.  Bide  a 
bit  and  let  me  eat  you  up,"  said  the  hen. 

"No,  no;  I  have  run  away  from  the  mother, 
and  the  father,  and  seven  hungry  children, 

7 


108  The  Pancake 


and  Manny  Panny.  I'll  run  away  from  you, 
too,  Henny  Penny,"  said  the  pancake,  and  it 
rolled  on  like  a  wheel  down  the  road. 

Just  then  it  met  a  cock. 

" Good-day,  pancake,"  said  the  cock. 

"The  same  to  you,  Cocky  Locky,"  said  the 
pancake. 

"Pancake,  dear,  don't  roll  so  fast,  but  bide 
a  bit  and  let  me  eat  you  up." 

"No,  no;  I  have  run  away  from  the  mother, 
and  the  father,  seven  hungry  children,  Manny 
Panny,  and  Henny  Penny.  I  '11  run  away  from 
you  too,  Cocky  Locky,"  said  the  pancake,  and 
it  rolled  and  rolled  as  fast  as  it  could.  Bye 
and  bye  it  met  a  duck. 

"Good-day,  pancake,"  said  the  duck. 

"The  same  to  you,  Ducky  Lucky." 

"Pancake,  dear,  don't  roll  away  so  fast;  bide 
a  bit  and  let  me  eat  you  up." 

"No,  no;  I  have  run  away  from  the  mother, 
and  the  father,  and  seven  hungry  children, 
Manny  Panny,  Henny  Penny,  and  Cocky 
Locky.    I'll  run  away  from  you,  too,  Ducky 


The  Pancake  109 


Lucky,"  said  the  pancake,  and  with  that  it 
took  to  rolling  and  rolling  faster  than  ever; 
and  when  it  had  rolled  a  long,  long  while,  it 
met  a  goose. 

''Good-day,  pancake,"  said  the  goose. 

"The  same  to  you,  Goosey  Poosey." 

"Pancake,  dear,  don't  roll  so  fast;  bide  a 
bit  and  let  me  eat  you  up." 

"No,  no;  I  have  run  away  from  the  mother, 
the  father,  seven  hungry  children,  Manny 
Panny,  Henny  Penny,  Cocky  Locky,  and 
Ducky  Lucky.  I'll  run  away  from  you,  too, 
Goosey  Poosey,"  said  the  pancake,  and  off 
it  rolled. 

So  when  it  had  rolled  a  long  way  off,  it  met 
a  gander. 

"Good-day,  pancake,"  said  the  gander. 

"The  same  to  you,  Gander  Pander,"  said 
the  pancake. 

"Pancake,  dear,  don't  roll  so  fast;  bide  a 
bit  and  let  me  have  a  bite." 

"No,  no;  I've  run  away  from  the  mother, 
the   father,   seven   hungry   children,   Manny 


110  The  Pancake 


Panny,  Henny  Penny,  Cocky  Locky,  Ducky 
Lucky,  and  Goosey  Poosey.  I'll  run  away 
from  you,  too,  Gander  Pander,"  said  the  pan- 
cake, and  it  rolled  and  rolled  as  fast  as  ever. 

So  when  it  had  rolled  a  long,  long  time,  it 
met  a  pig. 

''Good-day,  pancake,"  said  the  pig. 

"The  same  to  you,  Piggy  Wiggy,"  said  the 
pancake,  and  without  a  word  more  it  began 
to  roll  and  roll  for  dear  life. 

"Nay,  nay,"  said  the  pig,  "you  needn't  be 
in  such  a  hurry;  we  two  can  go  side  by  side 
through  the  wood;  they  say  it  is  not  too  safe 
in  there." 

The  pancake  thought  there  might  be  some- 
thing in  that,  and  so  they  kept  company.  But 
when  they  had  gone  a  while,  they  came  to  a 
brook.  As  for  Piggy,  he  was  so  fat  he  could 
swim  across.  It  was  nothing  for  him,  but  the 
poor  pancake  could  not  get  over. 

"Seat  yourself  on  my  snout,"  said  the  pig 
"and  I'll  carry  you  over." 

So  the  pancake  did  that. 


The  Pancake  111 


' '  Ouf ,  ouf , ' '  said  the  pig,  and  swallowed  the 
pancake  at  one  gulp,  and  then,  as  the  poor 
pancake  could  go  no  farther,  why — this  story 
can  go  no  farther  either. 


Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt 

ONCE  on  a  time,  but  it  was  a  long,  long 
time  ago,  there  were  two  brothers,  one 
rich  and  one  poor. 

Now,  one  Christmas  eve,  the  poor  one  had 
not  so  mnch  as  a  crumb  in  the  house,  either 
of  meat  or  bread,  so  he  went  to  his  brother 
to  ask  him  for  something  with  which  to  keep 
Christmas.  It  was  not  the  first  time  his 
brother  had  been  forced  to  help  him,  and,  as 
he  was  always  stingy,  he  was  not  very  glad 
to  see  him  this  time,  but  he  said,  "I'll  give 
you  a  whole  piece  of  bacon,  two  loaves  of 
bread,  and  candles  into  the  bargain,  if  you'll 
never  bother  me  again — but  mind  you  don't 
set  foot  in  my  house  from  this  day  on." 

The  poor  brother  said  he  wouldn't,  thanked 
his  brother  for  the  help  he  had  given  him,  and 
started  on  his  way  home. 

He  hadn't  gone  far  before  he  met  an  old, 
old  man  with  a  white  beard,  who  looked  so 

113 


114  Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt 

thin  and  worn  and  hungry  that  it  was  pitiful 
to  see  him. 

"In  heaven's  name  give  a  poor  man  a  mor- 
sel to  eat,"  said  the  old  man. 

"Now,  indeed,  I  have  been  begging  myself," 
said  the  poor  brother,  "but  I'm  not  so  poor 
that  I  can't  give  you  something  on  the  blessed 
Christmas  eve."  And  with  that  he  handed 
the  old  man  a  candle,  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  he 
was  just  going  to  cut  off  a  slice  of  bacon,  when 
the  old  man  stopped  him — "That  is  enough 
and  to  spare,"  said  he.  "And  now,  I'll  tell 
you  something.  Not  far  from  here  is  the  en- 
trance to  the  home  of  the  underground  folks. 
They  have  a  mill  there  which  can  grind  out 
anything  they  wish  for  except  bacon;  now 
mind  you  go  there.  When  you  get  inside  they 
will  all  want  to  buy  your  bacon,  but  don't  sell 
it  unless  you  get  in  return  the  mill  which 
stands  behind  the  door.  When  you  come  out 
I'll  teach  you  how  to  handle  the  mill." 

So  the  man  with  the  bacon  thanked  the  other 
for  his  good  advice  and  followed  the  directions 


Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt  115 

which  the  old  man  had  given  him,  and  soon 
he  stood  outside  the  door  of  the  hillf oik's 
home. 

When  he  got  in,  everything  went  just  as  the 
old  man  had  said.  All  the  hillfolk,  great  and 
small,  came  swarming  up  to  him,  like  ants 
around  an  ant-hill,  and  each  tried  to  outbid 
the  other  for  the  bacon. 

"Well!"  said  the  man,  "by  rights,  my  old 
dame  and  I  ought  to  have  this  bacon  for  our 
Christmas  dinner;  but,  since  you  have  all  set 
your  hearts  on  it,  I  suppose  I  must  give  it  up 
to  you.  Now,  if  I  sell  it  at  all,  I'll  have  for  it 
that  mill  behind  the  door  yonder." 

At  first  the  hillfolk  wouldn't  hear  of  such  a 
bargain  and  higgled  and  haggled  with  the  man, 
but  he  stuck  to  what  he  said,  and  at  last  they 
gave  up  the  mill  for  the  bacon. 

When  the  man  got  out  of  the  cave  and  into 
the  woods  again,  he  met  the  same  old  beggar 
and  asked  him  how  to  handle  the  mill.  After 
he  had  learned  how  to  use  it,  he  thanked  the 
old  man  and  went  off  home  as  fast  as  he  could; 


116  Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt 

but  still  the  clock  had  struck  twelve  on  Christ- 
mas eve  before  he  reached  his  own  door. 

"Wherever  in  the  world  have  you  been1?" 
said  his  old  dame.  "Here  have  I  sat  hour 
after  hour,  waiting  and  watching,  without  so 
much  as  two  sticks  to  lay  together  under  the 
Christmas  porridge." 

"Oh!"  said  the  man,  "I  could  not  get  back 
before,  for  I  had  to  go  a  long  way  first  for 
one  thing  and  then  for  another;  but  now  you 
shall  see  what  you  shall  see." 

So  he  put  the  mill  on  the  table,  and  bade  it 
first  of  all  grind  lights,  then  a  tablecloth,  then 
meat,  then  ale,  and  so  on  till  they  had  every- 
thing that  was  nice  for  Christmas  fare.  He 
had  only  to  speak  the  word  and  the  mill 
ground  out  whatever  he  wanted.  The  old 
dame  stood  by  blessing  her  stars,  and  kept 
on  asking  where  he  had  got  this  wonderful 
mill,  but  he  wouldn't  tell  her. 

"It's  all  the  same  where  I  got  it.  You  see 
the  mill  is  a  good  one,  and  the  mill  stream 
never  freezes.     That's  enough." 


Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt  117 

So  he  ground  meat  and  drink  and  all  good 
things  to  last  out  the  whole  of  Christmas  holi- 
days, and  on  the  third  day  he  asked  all  his 
friends  and  kin  to  his  house  and  gave  them  a 
great  feast.  Now,  when  his  rich  brother  saw 
all  that  was  on  the  table  and  all  that  was  in 
the  cupboards,  he  grew  quite  wild  with  anger, 
for  he  could  not  bear  that  his  brother  should 
have  anything. 

"  'Twas  only  on  Christmas  eve,"  he  said  to 
the  rest,  "he  was  so  poorly  off  that  he  came 
and  begged  for  a  morsel  of  food,  and  now  he 
gives  a  feast  as  if  he  were  count  or  a  king," 
and  he  turned  to  his  brother  and  said,  "But 
where  in  the  world  did  you  get  all  this 
wealth?" 

"From  behind  the  door,"  answered  the 
owner  of  the  mill,  for  he  did  not  care  to  tell 
his  brother  much  about  it.  But  later  in  the 
evening,  when  he  had  gotten  a  little  too  merry, 
he  could  keep  his  secret  no  longer,  and  he 
brought  out  the  mill  and  said: 

"There  you  see  what  has  gotten  me  all  this 


118  Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt 

wealth,"  and  so  tie  made  the  mill  grind  all 
kinds  of  things. 

When  his  brother  saw  it,  he  set  his  heart 
on  having  the  mill,  and,  after  some  talk,  it  was 
agreed  that  the  rich  brother  was  to  get  it  at 
hay-harvest  time,  when  he  was  to  pay  three 
hundred  dollars  for  it.  Now,  you  may  fancy 
the  mill  did  not  grow  rusty  for  want  of  work, 
for  while  he  had  it  the  poor  brother  made  it 
grind  meat  and  drink  that  would  last  for  years. 
When  hay-harvest  came,  the  rich  brother  got 
it,  but  he  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  make  it  grind 
that  he  forgot  to  learn  how  to  handle  it. 

It  was  evening  when  the  rich  brother  got 
the  mill  home,  and  next  morning  he  told  his 
wife  to  go  out  into  the  hayfield  and  toss  hay 
while  the  mowers  cut  the  grass,  and  he  would 
stay  at  home  and  get  the  dinner  ready.  So, 
when  dinner  time  drew  near,  he  put  the  mill 
on  the  kitchen  table  and  said: 

'  ■  Grind  herrings  and  broth,  and  grind  them 
good  and  fast." 

And  the  mill  began  to  grind  herrings  and 


Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt  119 

broth;  first  of  all  the  dishes  full,  then  all  the 
tubs  full,  and  so  on  till  the  kitchen  floor  was 
quite  covered.  The  man  twisted  and  twirled 
at  the  mill  to  get  it  to  stop,  but  for  all  his 
fiddling  and  fumbling  the  mill  went  on  grind- 
ing, and  in  a  little  while  the  broth  rose  so 
high  that  the  man  was  nearly  drowning.  So 
he  threw  open  the  kitchen  door  and  ran  into 
the  parlor,  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  mill 
had  ground  the  parlor  full  too,  and  it  was  only 
at  the  risk  of  his  life  that  the  man  could  get 
hold  of  the  latch  of  the  house  door  through 
the  stream  of  broth.  When  he  got  the  door 
open,  he  ran  out  and  set  off  down  the  road, 
with  the  stream  of  herrings  and  broth  at  his 
heels,  roaring  like  a  waterfall  over  the  whole 
farm. 

Now,  his  old  dame,  who  was  in  the  field 
tossing  hay,  thought  it  a  long  time  to  dinner, 
and  at  last  she  said: 

"Well!  though  the  master  doesn't  call  us 
home,  we  may  as  well  go.    Maybe  he  finds  it 


120  Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt 

hard  work  to  boil  the  broth,  and  will  be  glad 
of  my  help." 

The  men  were  willing  enough,  so  they  saun- 
tered homewards.  But  just  as  they  had  got 
a  little  way  up  the  hill,  what  should  they  meet 
but  herrings  and  broth,  all  running  and  dash- 
ing and  splashing  together  in  a  stream,  and 
the  master  himself  running  before  them  for 
his  life,  and  as  he  passed  them  he  called  out: 
"Eat,  drink!  eat,  drink!  but  take  care  you're 
not  drowned  in  the  broth." 

Away  he  ran  as  fast  as  his  legs  would  carry 
him  to  his  brother's  house,  and  begged  him 
in  heaven's  name  to  take  back  the  mill,  and 
that  at  once,  for,  said  he,  "If  it  grinds  only 
one  hour  more,  the  whole  parish  will  be  swal- 
lowed up  by  herrings  and  broth." 

So  the  poor  brother  took  back  the  mill,  and 
it  wasn't  long  before  it  stopped  grinding  her- 
rings and  broth. 

And  now  he  set  up  a  farmhouse  far  finer 
than  the  one  in  which  his  brother  lived,  and 
with  the  mill  he  ground  so  much  gold  that 


/Ci  sj&i 


IBS?         1/>''A  ,x         <i)  r^^ 


Ma    m 


With  the  herrings  and  hroth  at  his  heel 


Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt  123 

lie  covered  it  with  plates  of  gold.  And,  as 
the  farm  lay  by  the  seaside,  the  golden  house 
gleamed  and  glistened  far  away  over  the  sea. 
All  who  sailed  by  put  ashore  to  see  the  rich 
man  in  the  golden  house,  and  to  see  the  won- 
derful mill  the  fame  of  which  spread  far  and 
wide,  till  there  was  nobody  who  hadn't  heard 
of  it. 

So  one  day  there  came  a  skipper  who 
wanted  to  see  the  mill,  and  the  first  thing  he 
asked  was  if  it  could  grind  salt. 

"Grind  salt!"  said  the  owner,  "I  should  just 
think  it  could.    It  can  grind  anything." 

When  the  skipper  heard  that,  he  said  he 
must  have  the  mill,  for  if  he  only  had  it,  he 
thought,  he  need  not  take  his  long  voyages 
across  stormy  seas  for  a  lading  of  salt.  He 
much  preferred  sitting  at  home  with  a  pipe 
and  a  glass.  Well,  the  man  let  him  have  it, 
but  the  skipper  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  get 
away  with  it  that  he  had  no  time  to  ask  how 
to  handle  the  mill.  He  got  on  board  his  ship 
as  fast  as  he  could  and  set  sail.     When  he 


124  Why  the  Sea  Is  Salt 

had  sailed  a  good  way  off,  he  brought  the  mill 
on  deck  and  said,  ' '  Grind  salt,  and  grind  both 
good  and  fast." 

And  the  mill  began  to  grind  salt  so  that  it 
poured  out  like  water,  and  when  the  skipper 
had  got  the  ship  full  he  wished  to  stop  the  mill, 
but  whichever  way  he  turned  it,  and  however 
much  he  tried,  it  did  no  good;  the  mill  kept 
on  grinding,  and  the  heap  of  salt  grew  higher 
and  higher,  and  at  last  down  sank  the  ship. 

There  lies  the  mill  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  grinds  away  to  this  very  day,  and  that  is 
the  reason  why  the  sea  is  salt — so  some  folks 
say. 


The  Squire's  Bride 

THERE  was  once  a  very  rich  squire  who 
owned  a  large  farm,  had  plenty  of  sil- 
ver at  the  bottom  of  his  chest,  and 
money  in  the  bank  besides;  but  there  was 
something  he  had  not,  and  that  was  a  wife. 

One  day  a  neighbor's  daughter  was  work- 
ing for  him  in  the  hayfield.  The  squire  liked 
her  very  much  and,  as  she  was  a  poor  man's 
daughter,  he  thought  that  if  he  only  mentioned 
marriage  she  would  be  more  than  glad  to  take 
him  at  once.  So  he  said  to  her,  "I've  been 
thinking  I  want  to  marry." 

"Well,  one  may  think  of  many  things,"  said 
the  lassie,  as  she  stood  there  and  smiled  slyly. 
She  really  thought  the  old  fellow  ought  to  be 
thinking  of  something  that  behooved  him  bet- 
ter than  getting  married  at  his  time  of  life. 

"Now,  you  see,"  he  said,  "I  was  thinking 
that  you  should  be  my  wife!" 

"No,  thank  you,"  said  she,  "and  much 
obliged  for  the  honor." 

125 


126  The  Squire's  Bride 

The  squire  was  not  used  to  being  gainsaid, 
and  the  more  she  refused  him  the  more  he 
wanted  her.  But  the  lassie  would  not  listen 
to  him  at  all.  So  the  old  man  sent  for  her 
father  and  told  him  that,  if  he  could  talk  his 
daughter  over  and  arrange  the  whole  matter 
for  him,  he  would  forgive  him  the  money  he 
had  lent  him,  and  would  give  him  the  piece 
of  land  which  lay  close  to  his  meadow  into  the 
bargain. 

"Yes,  yes,  be  sure  I'll  bring  the  lass  to  her 
senses,"  said  the  father.  "She  is  only  a  child 
and  does  not  know  what  is  best  for  her." 

But  all  his  coaxing,  all  his  threats  and  all 
his  talking,  went  for  naught.  She  would  not 
have  the  old  miser,  if  he  sat  buried  in  gold  up 
to  his  ears,  she  said. 

The  squire  waited  and  waited,  but  at  last 
he  got  angry  and  told  the  father  that  he  had 
to  settle  the  matter  at  once  if  he  expected  him 
to  stand  by  his  bargain,  for  now  he  would 
wait  no  longer. 

T^e  man  knew  no  other  way  out  of  it,  but 


The  Squire's  Bride  127 

to  let  the  squire  get  everything  ready  for  the 
wedding;  then,  when  the  parson  and  the  wed- 
ding guests  had  arrived,  the  squire  would 
send  for  the  lassie  as  if  she  were  wanted  for 
some  work  on  the  farm.  When  she  got  there 
they  would  marry  her  right  away,  in  such  a 
hurry  that  she  would  have  no  time  to  think 
it  over. 

When  the  guests  had  arrived  the  squire 
called  one  of  his  farm  lads,  told  him  to  run 
down  to  his  neighbor  and  ask  him  to  send  up 
immediately  what  he  had  promised. 

"But  if  you  are  not  back  with  her  in  a  twin- 
kling," he  said,  shaking  his  fist  at  him, 
"I'll " 

He  did  not  finish,  for  the  lad  ran  off  as  if 
he  had  been  shot  at. 

"My  master  has  sent  me  to  ask  for  that 
which  you  promised  him,"  said  the  lad,  when 
he  got  to  the  neighbor,  "but,  pray,  lose  no 
time,  for  master  is  terribly  busy  to-day." 

"Yes,  yes!    Run  down  in  the  meadow  and 


128  The  Squire's  Bride 

take  her  with  you — there  she  goes,"  answered 
the  neighbor. 

The  lad  ran  off  and  when  he  came  to  the 
meadow  he  found  the  daughter  there  raking 
the  hay. 

"I  am  to  fetch  what  your  father  has  prom- 
ised my  master,"  said  the  lad. 

"Ah,  ha!"  thought  she,  "is  that  what  they 
are  up  to?"  And  with  a  wicked  twinkle  of 
the  eye,  she  said,  "Oh,  yes,  it's  that  little  bay 
mare  of  ours,  I  suppose.  You  had  better  go 
and  take  her.  She  stands  tethered  on  the 
other  side  of  the  pea  field." 

The  boy  jumped  on  the  back  of  the  bay  mare 
and  rode  home  at  full  gallop. 

"Have  you  got  her  with  you?"  asked  the 
squire. 

"She  is  down  at  the  door,"  said  the  lad. 

"Take  her  up  to  the  room  my  mother  had," 
said  the  squire. 

"But,  master,  how  can  I?"  said  the  lad. 

"Do  as  I  tell  you,"  said  the  squire.  ''And 
if  you  can't  manage  her  alone,  get  the  men 


The  Squire's  Bride  129 

to  help  you,"  for  he  thought  the  lassie  might 
be  stubborn. 

When  the  lad  saw  his  master's  face  he  knew 
it  would  be  no  use  to  argue.  So  he  went  and 
got  all  the  farm  hands  together  to  help  him. 
Some  pulled  at  the  head  and  the  forelegs  of 
the  mare  and  others  pushed  from  behind,  and 
at  last  they  got  her  upstairs  and  into  the  room. 
There  lay  all  the  wedding  finery  ready. 

"Well,  that's  done,  master!"  said  the  lad, 
while  he  wiped  his  wet  brow,  "but  it  was  the 
worst  job  I  have  ever  had  here  on  the  farm." 

"Never  mind,  never  mind,  you  shall  not 
have  done  it  for  nothing,"  said  his  master, 
and  he  pulled  a  bright  silver  coin  out  of  his 
pocket  and  gave  it  to  the  lad.  "Now  send  the 
women  up  to  dress  her." 

"But,  I  say — master! " 

"None  of  your  talk!"  cried  the  squire. 
"Tell  them  to  hold  her  while  they  dress  her, 
and  mind  not  to  forget  either  wreath  or 
crown." 

The  lad  ran  into  the  kitchen: 


130  The  Squire's  Bride 

"Listen,  here,  lasses,"  lie  called  out,  "you 
are  to  go  upstairs  and  dress  up  the  bay  mare 
as  a  bride — I  suppose  master  wants  to  play 
a  joke  on  his  guests." 

The  women  laughed  and  laughed,  but  ran 
upstairs  and  dressed  the  bay  mare  in  every- 
thing that  was  there.  And  then  the  lad  went 
and  told  his  master  that  now  she  was  all  ready, 
with  wreath  and  crown  and  all. 

"Very  well,  bring  her  down.  I  will  receive 
her  at  the  door  myself,"  said  the  squire. 

There  was  a  clatter  and  a  thumping  on  the 
stairs,  for  that  bride,  you  know,  had  no  silken 
slippers  on. 

When  the  door  was  opened  and  the  squire's 
bride  entered  the  room,  you  can  imagine  there 
was  laughing  and  tittering  and  grinning 
enough. 

And  as  for  the  squire,  they  say  he  never 
went  courting  again. 


Peik 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  man,  and 
lie  had.  a  wife.  They  had  a  son  and  a 
daughter  who  were  twins,  and  these 
were  so  alike  that  no  one  could  tell  one  from 
the  other  except  by  their  clothing.  The  boy 
they  called  Peik.  He  was  of  little  use  while 
his  father  and  mother  lived,  for  he  cared  to 
do  naught  else  than  to  befool  folk,  and  he  was 
so  full  of  tricks  and  pranks  that  no  one  was 
left  in  peace.  When  the  parents  died,  mat- 
ters grew  still  worse  and  worse.  He  would 
not  turn  his  hand  to  anything.  All  he  would 
do  was  to  squander  what  they  left  behind 
them. 

His  sister  toiled  and  moiled  all  she  could, 
but  it  helped  little;  so  at  last  she  told  him 
how  silly  it  was  to  do  naught  for  the  house. 

"What  shall  we  have  to  live  on  when  you 
have  wasted  everything?"  she  said. 

131 


132  Peik 

"Oh,  I'll  go  out  and  befool  somebody,"  said 
Peik. 

"Yes,  Peik,  I'll  be  bound  you'll  do  that  soon 
enough,"  said  the  sister. 

"Well,  I'll  try,"  said  Peik. 

At  last  they  had  indeed  nothing  more. 
There  was  an  end  of  everything;  and  Peik 
started  off,  and  walked  and  walked  till  he 
came  to  the  King's  palace. 

Now,  I  must  tell  you,  this  King  and  his 
queen  and  eldest  daughter  were  little  better 
than  trolls, — mean  and  hateful  and  very  fool- 
ish,— so  there  was  no  love  lost  between  them 
and  the  people. 

When  Peik  came  to  the  King's  palace,  there 
stood  the  King  in  the  porch,  and  as  soon  as  he 
set  eyes  on  the  lad  he  said, 

"Whither  away,  to-day,  Peik?" 

"Oh,  I  was  going  out  to  see  if  I  could  befool 
anybody,"  said  Peik. 

"Can't  you  befool  me  now?"  said  the  King. 

"No,  I'm  sure  I  can't,"  said  Peik,  "for  I've 
forgotten  my  fooling  rods." 


Peik  133 

" Can't  you  go  home  and  fetch  them1?"  said 
the  King,  "I  should  be  very  glad  to  see  if  you 
are  such  a  trickster  as  folks  say." 

"I've  no  strength  to  walk,"  said  Peik. 

"I'll  lend  you  a  horse  and  saddle,"  said  the 
King 

"But  I  can't  ride  either,"  said  Peik. 

"We'll  lift  you  up,"  said  the  King,  "then 
you'll  be  able  to  stick  on." 

Well,  Peik  stood  and  scratched  his  head  as 
though  he  would  pull  the  hair  off,  and  he  let 
them  lift  him  up  into  the  saddle.  There  he 
sat,  swinging  this  side  and  that,  so  long  as  the 
King  could  see  him,  and  the  King  laughed  till 
the  tears  came  into  his  eyes,  for  such  a  tailor 
on  horseback  he  had  never  seen.  But  when 
Peik  was  come  well  into  the  wood  behind  the 
hill,  so  that  he  was  out  of  the  King's  sight, 
he  sat  as  though  he  were  tied  to  the  horse,  and 
off  he  rode  as  fast  as  the  horse  could  carry 
him.  But  when  he  got  to  the  town  he  sold 
both  horse  and  saddle. 

All  the  while  the  King  walked  up  and  down, 


134  Peik 

and  loitered,  and  waited  for  Peik  to  come  tot- 
tering back  again  with  his  fooling  rods.  And 
every  now  and  then  he  laughed  when  he  called 
to  mind  how  wretched  the  lad  looked  as  he  sat 
swinging  about  on  the  horse  like  a  sack  of 
corn,  not  knowing  on  which  side  to  fall  off. 
This  lasted  for  seven  lengths  and  seven 
breaths,  but  no  Peik  came,  and  so  at  last  the 
King  saw  that  he  was  fooled  and  cheated  out 
of  his  horse  and  saddle,  even  though  Peik  had 
not  had  his  fooling  rods  with  him.  Then  there 
was  another  story,  for  the  King  got  wroth, 
and  was  all  for  setting  off  to  kill  Peik. 

But  Peik  had  found  out  the  day  he  was  com- 
ing, and  told  his  sister  she  must  put  on  the 
big  boiling-pot  with  a  little  water  in  it.  Just 
as  the  King  came  in,  Peik  dragged  the  pot 
off  the  fire  and  ran  off  with  it  to  the  chop- 
ping-block,  and  so  boiled  the  porridge  on  the 
block. 

The  King  wondered  at  that,  and  wondered 
on  and  on,  so  much  that  he  quite  forgot  what 
brought  him  there. 


Peik  135 

"What  do  you  want  for  that  pot?"  said  he. 

"I  can't  spare  it,"  said  Peik. 

"Why  not?"  said  the  King;  "I'll  pay  what 
you  ask." 

"No,  no!"  said  Peik.  "It  saves  me  time 
and  money,  wTood  hire  and  chopping  hire,  cart- 
ing and  carrying." 

"Never  mind,"  said  the  King,  "I'll  give  you 
a  hundred  dollars.  It's  true  you've  fooled  me 
out  of  a  horse  and  saddle,  and  bridle  besides, 
but  all  that  shall  go  for  nothing  if  I  can  only 
get  the  pot." 

"Well,  if  you  must  have  it,  you  must,"  said 
Peik. 

When  the  King  got  home  he  asked  guests 
and  made  a  feast,  but  the  meat  was  to  be 
boiled  in  the  new  pot,  and  so  he  took  it  up 
and  set  it  in  the  middle  of  the  floor.  The 
guests  thought  the  King  had  lost  his  wits,  and 
went  about  elbowing  one  another,  and  laugh- 
ing at  him.  But  he  walked  round  and  round 
the  pot  and  cackled  and  chattered,  saying  all 
in  a  breath — 


136  Peik 

"Well,  well!  bide  a  bit,  bide  a  bit!  'Twill 
boil  in  a  minute. " 

But  there  was  no  boiling.  So  lie  saw  that 
Peik  had  been  out  with  his  fooling  rods  and 
had  cheated  him  again,  and  now  he  would  set 
off  at  once  and  slay  him. 

When  the  King  came,  Peik  stood  out  by 
the  barn  door.    " Wouldn't  it  boil?"  he  asked. 

"No,  it  would  not,  and  you  shall  smart  for 
it,"  said  the  King,  about  to  unsheath  his  knife. 

"I  can  well  believe  that,"  said  Peik,  "for 
you  did  not  take  the  block,  too." 

"I  wish  I  thought,"  said  the  King,  "you 
weren't  telling  me  a  pack  of  lies." 

"I  tell  you  it's  because  of  the  block  it  stands 
on;  it  won't  boil  without  it,"  said  Peik. 

"Well,  what  do  you  want  for  it?" 

It  was  well  worth  three  hundred  dollars; 
but  for  the  King's  sake  it  should  go  for  two. 
So  the  King  got  the  block  and  traveled  home 
with  it.  He  bade  guests  again,  made  a  feast, 
and  set  the  pot  on  the  chopping-block  in  the 
middle  of  the  room.    The  guests  thought  he 


Peik  137 

was  both  daft  and  mad,  and  they  went  about 
making  game  of  him,  while  he  cackled  and 
chattered  around  the  pot,  calling  out,  "Bide 
a  bit!    Now  it  boils,  now  it  boils  in  a  trice." 

But  it  wouldn't  boil  a  bit  more  on  the  block 
than  on  the  bare  floor.  So  he  saw  that  Peik 
had  been  out  with  his  fooling  rods  this  time, 
too.  Then  he  fell  a-tearing  his  hair,  and  said 
he  would  set  off  at  once  and  slay  the  lad.  He 
wouldn't  spare  him  this  time,  whether  or  no. 

But  Peik  was  ready  for  him.  He  had  filled 
a  leather  bag  with  blood  and  stuffed  it  into 
Ins  sister's  bosom,  and  told  her  what  to  say 
and  do. 

"Where's  Peik?"  screamed  out  the  King. 
He  was  in  such  a  rage  that  he  stuttered  and 
stammered. 

"He  is  so  poorly  that  he  can't  stir  hand  or 
foot,"  she  said,  "and  now  he's  trying  to  get 
a  nap. ' ' 

"Wake  him  up!"  said  the  King. 

"Nay,  I  daren't,  he  will  be  so  angry,"  said 
the  sister. 


138  Peik 

"Well,  I  am  angrier  still,"  said  the  King, 
"and  if  you  don't  wake  him,  I  will,"  and  with 
that  he  tapped  his  side  where  his  knife  hung. 

"Well,  she  would  go  and  wake  him,"  but 
Peik  turned  hastily  in  his  bed,  drew  out  a 
knife  and  ripped  open  the  leather  bag  in  her 
bosom,  so  that  the  blood  gushed  out,  and  down 
she  fell  on  the  floor  as  though  she  were  dead. 

""What  an  awful  fellow  you  are,  Peik,"  said 
the  King;  "you  have  killed  your  sister  right 
before  my  eyes!" 

"Oh,  there's  no  trouble  with  her  so  long  as 
there's  breath  in  my  nostrils,"  said  Peik,  and 
with  that  he  pulled  out  a  ram's  horn  and  began 
to  toot  on  it. 

"Toot-e-too-too,"  he  blew,  with  one  end  of 
the  horn  to  her  body,  and  up  she  rose  as 
though  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with  her. 

1  i  Dear  me,  Peik !  Can  you  kill  folk  and  blow 
life  into  them  again?  Can  you  do  that?"  said 
the  King. 

"Why!"  said  Peik,  "how  could  I  get  on  at 
all  if  I  couldn't?    T  am  always  killing  evert" 


Peik  139 

one  I  come  near;  don't  you  know  I  have  a 
terrible  temper?" 

"I  am  hot-tempered,  too,"  said  the  King, 
' 'and  that  horn  I  must  have.  I'll  give  you  a 
hundred  dollars  for  it,  and  besides  I'll  forgive 
you  for  cheating  me  out  of  my  horse  and  for 
fooling  me  about  the  pot  and  the  block,  and  all 
else." 

Peik  was  loth  to  part  with  it,  but  for  his 
sake  he  would  let  him  have  it.  And  so  the 
King  went  off  home  with  it,  and  he  hardly 
got  back  before  he  must  try  it. 

So  he  fell  a-wrangling  and  quarreling  with 
the  queen  and  his  eldest  daughter,  and  they 
paid  him  back  in  the  same  coin;  but  before 
they  knew  what  was  happening  he  had 
whipped  out  his  knife  and  cut  their  throats. 
They  fell  down  stone  dead  and  the  other  two 
daughters  ran  from  the  house,  they  were  so 
afraid. 

The  King  walked  about  the  floor  for  a  while 
and  kept  chattering  that  there  was  no  harm 
done  so  long  as  there  was  breath  in  him,  ano* 


140  Peik 

then  he  pulled  out  the  horn  and  began  to  blow 
"Toot-e-too-too!  Toot-e-too-too ! "  but,  though 
he  blew  and  tooted  as  hard  as  he  could  all 
that  day  and  the  next,  too,  he  could  not  blow 
life  into  them  again.  Dead  they  were,  and 
dead  they  stayed.  But  the  people  in  the  king- 
dom were  only  glad  to  get  rid  of  such  troll- 
folk,  and  were  wishing  some  one  might  make 
an  end  of  the  King,  too,  so  that  they  might 
have  a  good  King  in  his  place. 

But  the  King  was  now  angrier  than  ever, 
and  must  go  right  off  to  kill  Peik. 

But  Peik  knew  that  he  was  coming  and  then 
he  said  to  his  sister — 

"Now,  you  must  change  clothes  with  me 
and  set  off.  If  you  will  do  that,  you  may  have 
all  we  own." 

So,  she  changed  clothes  with  him,  packed 
up  and  started  off  as  fast  as  she  could;  but 
Peik  sat  all  alone  in  his  sister's  clothes. 

"Where  is  that  Peik?"  roared  the  King,  as 
as  he  came,  in  a  towering  rage,  through  the 
door. 


Peik  141 

"He  has  run  away,"  said  Peik.  "He  knew 
that  your  Majesty  was  coming,  so  he  left  me 
all  alone  without  a  morsel  of  bread  or  a  penny 
in  my  purse,"  and  he  made  himself  as  gentle 
and  sweet  as  a  young  lady. 

"Come  along,  then,  to  the  King's  palace., 
and  you  shall  have  enough  to  live  on.  There 's 
no  good  sitting  here  and  starving  in  this  cabin 
by  yourself,"  said  the  King. 

So  Peik  went  home  with  the  King,  and  there 
he  was  treated  as  the  King's  own  daughter, 
for  Miss  Peik  sewed  and  stitched  and  sang 
and  played  with  the  others,  and  was  with  them 
early  and  late. 

But  one  day  a  man  came  to  the  King  and 
told  him  that  Peik's  sister  was  at  a  farm  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  that  it  was  Peik  he 
had  brought  up  in  his  own  house.  Now,  Peik 
had  heard  all  that  the  man  told  the  King,  so 
he  ran  away  from  the  King's  palace,  out  into 
the  wide  world. 

The  King  got  into  a  terrible  rage  then,  and 
called  for  Peik,  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be 

9 


142  Peik 

found.  Then  he  mounted  his  horse  to  go  out 
to  look  for  Peik. 

He  hao!  not  gone  far  before  he  came  to  a 
ploughed  field  and  there  sat  Peik  on  a  stone, 
playing  on  a  mouth  organ. 

"What!  Are  you  sitting  there,  Peik?"  said 
the  King. 

"Here  I  sit,  sure  enough,"  said  Peik; 
"where  else  should  I  sit?" 

"You  have  cheated  me  foully  time  after 
time*"  said  the  King,  "but  now  you  must  come 
along  home  with  me,  and  I'll  kill  you." 

"Well,  well,"  said  Peik,  "if  it  can't  be 
helped,  it  can't;  I  suppose  I  must  go  along 
with  you." 

When  they  got  home  to  the  King's  palace 
they  got  ready  a  barrel  which  Peik  was  to  be 
put  in,  and  when  it  was  ready  they  carted  it 
up  a  high  mountain.  There  he  was  to  lie  three 
days,  thinking  on  all  the  evil  he  had  done, 
then  they  were  to  roll  him  down  the  mountain 
into  the  sea. 

The  third  day  a  rich  man  passed  by  and 


Peik  143 

when  he  heard  Peik's  story  he  was  ready  to 
help  him  out  of  his  trouble. 

They  made  a  stuffed  man  and  put  him  with 
some  stones  into  the  barrel — but  the  rich  man 
gave  Peik  horses  and  cows,  sheep  and  swine, 
and  money  beside. 

Now,  the  King  came  to  roll  Peik  down  the 
mountain.  "A  happy  journey!"  said  the 
King,  "and  now  it  is  all  o\er  with  you  and 
your  fooling  rods." 

Before  the  barrel  was  halfway  down  the 
mountain  there  was  not  a  whole  stave  of  it 
left,  nor  would  there  have  been  a  whole  limb 
on  Peik,  had  he  been  there.  But  when  the 
King  came  back  to  the  palace,  Peik  was  there 
before  him,  and  sat  in  the  court-yard  playing 
on  his  mouth  organ. 

"What!    You  sitting  here,  you,  Peik?" 

"Yes!  Here  I  sit,  sure  enough.  Where  else 
should  I  sit?"  said  Peik.  "Maybe  I  can  get 
room  here  for  all  my  horses  and  sheep  and 
monev." 


144  Peik 

"But  whither  was  it  that  I  rolled  you  that 
you  got  all  this  wealth V9  asked  the  King. 

"Oh,  you  rolled  me  into  the  sea,"  said  Peik, 
"and  when  I  got  to  the  bottom  there  was  more 
than  enough  and  to  spare,  both  of  horses  and 
sheep,  and  of  gold  and  silver.  The  cattle  went 
about  in  great  flocks,  and  the  gold  and  silver 
lay  in  large  heaps  as  big  as  houses. " 

"What  will  you  take  to  roll  me  down  the 
same  way?"  asked  the  King. 

"Oh,"  said  Peik,  "it  costs  little  or  nothing 
to  do  it.  Besides,  you  took  nothing  from  me, 
and  so  I'll  take  nothing  from  you  either." 

So  he- stuffed  the  King  into  a  barrel  and 
rolled  him  over,  and  when  he  had  given  him 
a  ride  down  to  the  sea  for  nothing,  he  went 
home  to  the  King's  palace. 

Then  he  began  to  hold  his  bridal  feast  with 
the  youngest  princess,  and  afterwards  he  ruled 
the  land  both  well  and  long.  But  he  kept 
his  fooling  rods  to  himself,  and  kept  them  so 
well  that  nothing  was  ever  heard  of  Peik  and 
his  tricks,  but  only  of  "Ourself  the  King." 


So  he  stuffed  the  King  into  the  barrel  and  rolled  him  over 


The  Princess   Who  Could 
Not  Be  Silenced 

THERE  was  once  a  King,  and  tie  had  a 
daughter  who  was  so  cross  and  crooked 
in  her  words  that  no  one  could  silence 
her,  and  so  he  gave  it  out  that  he  who  could 
do  it  should  marry  the  princess  and  have  half 
the  kingdom,  too.  There  were  plenty  of  those 
who  wanted  to  try  it,  I  can  tell  you,  for  it  is 
not  every  day  that  you  can  get  a  princess  and 
half  a  kingdom.  The  gate  to  the  King's 
palace  did  not  stand  still  a  minute.  They 
came  in  great  crowds  from  the  East  and  the 
West,  both  riding  and  walking.  But  there 
was  not  one  of  them  who  could  silence  the 
princess. 

At  last  the  king  had  it  given  out  that  those 
who  tried,  and  failed,  should  have  both  ears 
marked  with  the  big  redhot  iron  with  which 
he  marked  his  sheep.  He  was  not  going  to 
have  all  that  flurry  and  worry  for  nothing. 

Well,  there  were  three  brothers,  who  had 

1.S7 


148  The  Princess  Who  Could 

»^ — — — — ■ —  -~— — ^ ^ — ^^— 

heard  about  the  princess,  and,  as  they  did  not 
fare  very  well  at  home,  they  thought  they  had 
better  set  out  to  try  their  luck  and  see  if  they 
could  not  win  the  princess  and  half  the  king- 
dom. They  were  friends  and  good  fellows,  all 
three  of  them,  and  they  set  off  together. 

When  they  had  walked  a  bit  of  the  way, 
Boots  picked  up  something. 

"I've  found — I've  found  something!"  he 
cried. 

"What  did  you  find?"  asked  the  brothers. 

"I  found  a  dead  crow,"  said  he. 

"Ugh!  Throw  it  away!  What  would  you 
do  with  that?"  said  the  brothers,  who  always 
thought  they  knew  a  great  deal. 

"Oh,  I  haven't  much  to  carry,  I  might  as 
well  carry  this,"  said  Boots. 

So  when  they  had  walked  on  a  bit,  Boots 
again  picked  up  something. 

"I've  found — I've  found  something!"  he 
cried. 

"What  have  you  found  now?"  said  the 
brothers. 


Not  Be  Silenced  149 

"I  found  a  willow  twig,"  said  he. 

•'Dear,  what  do  you  want  with  that?  Throw 
it  away!"  said  they. 

"Oh,  I  haven't  much  to  carry,  I  might  as 
well  carry  that,"  said  Boots. 

So  when  they  had  walked  a  bit,  Boots  picked 
up  something  again.  "Oh,  lads,  I've  found — 
I've  found  something!"  he  cried. 

"Well,  well,  what  did  you  find  this  time1?" 
asked  the  brothers. 

"A  piece  of  a  broken  saucer,"  said  he. 

"Oh,  what  is  the  use  of  that?  Throw  it 
away!"  said  they. 

"Oh,  I  haven't  much  to  carry,  I  might  as 
well  carry  that,"  said  Boots. 

And  when  they  had  walked  a  bit  further, 
Boots  stooped  down  again  and  picked  up 
something  else. 

"I've  found — I've  found  something,  lads!" 
he  cried. 

"And  what  is  it  now?"  said  they. 

"Two  goat  horns,"  said  Boots. 


150  The  Princess  Who  Could 

"Oh!  Throw  them  away.  What  could  you 
do  with  them?"  said  they. 

"Oh,  I  haven't  much  to  carry,  I  might  as 
well  carry  them,"  said  Boots. 

In  a  little  while  he  found  something  again. 

"Oh,  lads,  see,  I've  found — I've  found  some- 
thing," he  cried. 

"Dear,  dear,  what  wonderful  things  you  do 
find!    What  is  it  now?"  said  the  brothers. 

"I've  found  a  wedge,"  said  he. 

"Oh,  throw  it  away.  What  do  you  want 
with  that?"  said  they. 

"Oh,  I  haven't  much  to  carry,  I  might  as 
well  carry  that,"  said  Boots. 

And  now,  as  they  walked  over  the  fields 
close  up  to  the  King's  palace,  Boots  bent  down 
again  and  held  something  in  his  fingers. 

"Oh,  lads,  lads,  see  what  I've  found!"  he 
cried. 

"If  you  only  found  a  little  common  sense, 
it  would  be  good  for  you,"  said  they.  "Well, 
let's  see  what  it  is  now." 

"A  worn-out  shoe  sole,"  said  he. 


Not  Be  Silenced  151 


" Pshaw!  Well,  that  was  something  to  pick 
up !  Throw  it  away !  What  do  you  want  with 
that?"  said  the  brothers. 

"Oh,  I  haven't  much  to  carry,  I  might  as 
well  carry  that,  if  I  am  to  win  the  princess 
and  half  the  kingdom,"  said  Boots. 

"Yes,  you  are  likely  to  do  that — you,"  said 
they. 

And  now  they  came  to  the  King's  palace. 
The  eldest  one  went  in  first. 

"Good-day,"  said  he. 

"Good-day  to  you,"  said  the  princess,  and 
she  twisted  and  turned. 

"It's  awfully  hot  here,"  said  he. 

"It  is  hotter  over  there  in  the  hearth,"  said 
the  princess.  There  lay  the  red-hot  iron  ready 
awaiting.  When  he  saw  that  he  forgot  every 
word  he  was  going  to  say,  and  so  it  was  all 
over  with  him. 

And  now  came  the  next  oldest  one. 

"Good-day,"  said  he. 

"Good-day  to  you,"  said  she,  and  she  turned 
and  twisted  herself. 


152  The  Princess  Who  Could 

"It's  awfully  hot  here,"  said  he. 

"It's  hotter  over  there  in  the  hearth,"  said 
she.  And  when  he  looked  at  the  red-hot  iron 
he,  too,  couldn't  get  a  word  out,  and  so  they 
marked  his  ears  and  sent  him  home  again. 

Then  it  was  Boots '  turn. 

' '  Good-day, ' '  said  he. 

"Good-day  to  you,"  said  she,  and  she 
twisted  and  turned  again. 

"It's  nice  and  warm  in  here,"  said  Boots. 

"It's  hotter  in  the  hearth,"  said  she,  and 
she  was  no  sweeter,  now  the  third  one  had 
come. 

"That's  good,  I  may  bake  my  crow  there, 
then?"  asked  he. 

"I'm  afraid  she'll  burst,"  said  the  princess. 

"There's  no  danger;  I'll  wind  this  willow 
twig  around,"  said  the  lad. 

"It's  too  loose,"  said  she. 

"I'll  stick  this  wedge  in,"  said  the  lad,  and 
took  out  the  wedge. 

"The  fat  will  drop  off,"  said  the  princess. 


Not  Be  Silenced  153 

"I'll  hold  this  under,"  said  the  lad,  and 
pulled  out  the  broken  bit  of  the  saucer. 

"You  are  crooked  in  your  words,  that  you 
are,"  said  the  princess. 

"No,  I'm  not  crooked,  but  this  is  crooked," 
said  the  lad,  and  he  showed  her  the  goat's 
horn. 

"Well,  I  never  saw  the  equal  to  that!"  cried 
the  princess. 

"Oh,  here  is  the  equal  to  it,"  said  he,  and 
pulled  out  the  other. 

"Now,  you  think  you'll  wear  out  my  soul, 
don't  you?"  said  she. 

"No,  I  won't  wear  out  your  soul,  for  I  have 
a  sole  that's  worn  out  already,"  said  the  lad, 
and  pulled  out  the  shoe  sole. 

Then  the  princess  hadn't  a  word  to  say. 

"Now,  you're  mine,"  said  Boots. 

And  so  she  was. 


The   Twelve   Wild   Ducks 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  Queen  who 
had  twelve  sons  but  no  daughter. 
One  day  she  was  out  driving  in  the 
woods  and  met  the  prettiest  little  lassie  one 
ever  did  see,  and  so  the  Queen  stopped  her 
horses,  lifted  the  child  up  in  her  arms,  kissed 
her  on  both  cheeks,  all  the  while  thinking: 

*'I  wish  I  had  a  little  girl  of  my  own,  oh, 
now  long  I've  waited  and  wished  for  one." 

Just  then  an  old  witch  of  the  trolls  came 
up  to  her,  but  you  wouldn't  have  known  it 
was  a  witch  at  all,  she  looked  so  kind  and 
good. 

"A  daughter  you  shall  have,"  she  said,  "and 
she  shall  be  the  prettiest  child  in  twelve  king- 
doms, if  you  will  give  to  me  what  ever  comes 
to  meet  you  at  the  bridge. ' ' 

Now  the  Queen  had  a  little  snow  white  dog 
of  which  she  was  very  fond,  and  it  always  ran 
to  meet  her  when  she  had  been  away.  She 
thought,  of  course,  it  was  the  dog  the  old  dame 
wanted,  so  the  Queen  said,  "Yes,  you  may 

155 


156  The  Twelve  Wild  Bucks 

have  what  comes  to  meet  me  on  the  bridge." 
With  that  she  hurried  home  as  fast  as  she 
could. 

But,  who  should  come  to  meet  her  on  the 
bridge  but  her  twelve  sons;  and  before  the 
mother  could  cry  out  to  them  the  wicked  witch 
threw  her  spell  upon  them  and  turned  them 
into  twelve  ducks  which  flapped  their  wings 
and  flew  away.  Away  they  went  and  away 
they  stayed. 

But  the  Queen  had  a  daughter,  and  she  was 
the  loveliest  child  one  ever  set  eyes  upon.  The 
Princess  grew  up,  and  she  was  both  tall  and 
fair,  but  she  was  often  quiet  and  sorrowful^ 
and  no  one  could  understand  what  it  was  that 
ailed  her.  The  Queen,  too,  was  often  sorrow- 
ful, as  you  may  believe,  for  she  had  many 
strange  fears  when  she  thought  of  her  sons. 
And  one  day  she  said  to  her  daughter,  "Why 
are  you  so  sorrowful,  lassie  mine?  Is  there 
anything  you  want  %  If  so,  only  say  the  word, 
and  you  shall  have  it." 

"Oh,  it  seems  so  dull  and  lonely  here,"  said 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  157 

the  daughter,  "every  one  else  has  brothers 
and  sisters,  but  I  am  all  alone;  I  have  none. 
That's  why  I'm  so  sorrowful." 

"But  you  had  brothers,  my  daughter,"  said 
the  Queen;  "I  had  twelve  sons,  stout,  brave 
lads,  but  I  lost  them  all  when  you  came ; ' '  and 
so  she  told  her  the  whole  story. 

When  the  Princess  heard  that  she  had  no 
rest;  for  she  thought  it  was  all  her  fault,  and 
in  spite  of  all  the  Queen  could  say  or  do, 
though  she  wept  and  prayed,  the  lassie  would 
set  off  to  seek  her  brothers.  On  and  on  she 
walked  into  the  wide  world,  so  far  you  would 
ne  v  er  have  thought  her  small  feet  could  have 
had  strength  to  carry  her  so  far. 

Finally,  one  day,  when  she  was  walking 
through  a  great,  great  wood,  she  felt  tired, 
and  sat  down  on  a  mossy  tuft  and  fell  asleep. 
Then  she  dreamt  that  she  went  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  wood,  till  she  came  to  a  little 
wooden  hut,  and  there  she  found  her  brothers. 
Just  then  she  awoke,  and  straight  before  her 
she  saw  a  worn  path  in  the  green  moss.    This 


158  The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks 

path  went  deeper  into  the  wood,  so  she  fol- 
lowed it,  and  after  a  long  time  she  came  to 
just  such  a  little  wooden  house  as  that  she  had 
seen  in  her  dream. 

Now,  when  she  went  into  the  room  there 
was  no  one  at  home,  but  there  were  twelve 
beds,  and  twelve  chairs,  and  twelve  spoons, — 
in  short,  a  dozen  of  everything.  When  she 
saw  that  she  was  very  glad;  she  had  not  been 
so  glad  for  many  a  long  year,  for  she  could 
guess  at  once  that  her  brothers  lived  there, 
and  that  they  owned  the  beds  and  chairs  and 
spoons.  So  she  began  to  make  up  the  fire, 
and  sweep  the  room  and  make  the  beds  and 
cook  the  dinner,  and  to  make  the  house  as 
tidy  as  she  could. 

And  when  she  had  done  all  the  work  and 
the  dinner  was  on  the  table  she  suddenly 
heard  something  flapping  and  whirling  in  the 
air,  and  she  slipped  behind  the  door.  Then  all 
the  twelve  ducks  came  sweeping  in;  but  as 
soon  as  ever  they  crossed  the  threshold  they 
became  Princes. 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  159 

"Oh,  how  nice  and  warm  it  is  here,"  they 
aid,  "Heaven  bless  him  who  made  up  the  fire 
and  cooked  such  a  nice  dinner  for  us." 

"But  who  can  it  be?"  said  the  youngest 
Prince,  and  they  all  hunted  both  high  and 
low  until  they  found  the  lassie  behind  the 
door.  And  she  threw  her  arms  around  their 
necks  and  said,  "I'm  your  sister;  I've  gone 
about  seeking  you  these  three  years,  and  if  I 
could  set  you  free,  I'd  willingly  give  my  life." 

Then  all  the  brothers  looked  sorrowfully, 
•one  at  the  other,  and  they  shook  their  heads. 

"No,  it's  too  hard,"  said  the  eldest  Prince, 
looking  at  the  pretty  young  Princess,  "it's  too 
hard,"  and  again  they  sighed  and  shook  their 
lieads. 

"Oh,  tell  me,  only  tell  me,"  said  the  Prin- 
cess, "how  can  it  be  done,  and  I'll  do  it,  what- 
ever it  be."  And  as  she  begged  and  pleaded 
for  them  to  tell  her,  the  youngest  brother  said 
at  last,  "You  must  pick  thistledown,  and  you 
must  card  it,  and  spin  it,  and  weave  it.  After 
you  have  done  that,  you  must  cut  out  and 

10 


160  The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks 

make  twelve  shirts,  one  for  each  of  us,  and 
while  you  do  that,  you  must  neither  talk,  nor 
laugh,  nor  weep.  If  you  can  do  that  we  are 
free. ' ' 

"But  where  shall  I  ever  get  thistledown 
enough  for  so  many  shirts'?"  asked  the  sister. 

"Well,  that  is  the  hardest  thing  of  all."  said 
the  eldest  brother.  "You  must  go  to  the 
witches' -moor  at  midnight  and  gather  it 
there,"  and  big  tears  stood  in  his  eyes,  "and 
you  must  go  alone,  all  alone." 

But  the  sister  smiled  and  nodded  her  head, 
and  when  midnight  came,  and  the  moon  was 
high  in  the  sky  she  said  good-bye  to  ner 
brothers,  and  went  to  the  great,  wide  moor, 
where  the  witches  lived.  There  stood  a  great 
crop  of  thistles,  all  nodding  and  nodding  in 
the  breeze,  while  the  down  floated  and  glis- 
tened like  gossamer  through  the  air  in  the 
moonbeams.  The  Princess  began  to  pluck  and 
gather  it  as  fast  as  she  could,  but  she  saw 
long  skinny  arms  outstretched  toward  her, 
and,  among  the  thistles,  she  saw  a  host  of 


The  Princess  began  to  pluck  and  gather  as  fast  as  she  could 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  163 

wicked  faces  all  looking  at  her.  Her  heart 
stood  still  then  and  she  grew  icy  cold,  bnt 
never  a  sound  did  she  utter,  only  plucked  and 
gathered  until  her  bag  was  full;  and  when  she 
got  home  at  break  of  day  she  set  to  work 
carding  and  spinning  yarn  from  the  down. 

So  she  went  on  a  long,  long  time  picking- 
down  on  the  witches'  moor,  carding  and  spin- 
ning, and  all  the  while  keeping  the  house  of 
the  Princes,  cooking,  and  making  their  beds. 
But  she  never  talked,  nor  laughed,  nor  wept. 

At  evening  home  the  brothers  came,  flap- 
ping and  whirring  like  wild  ducks,  and  all 
night  they  were  Princes,  but  in  the  morning 
off  they  flew  again,  and  were  wild  ducks  the 
whole  day. 

But,  it  happened  one  night  when  she  was 
out  on  the  moor  picking  thistledown,  that  the 
young  King  who  ruled  that  land  was  out  hunt- 
ing, and  had  lost  his  way.  He  had  become  sep- 
arated from  his  companions,  and  now,  as  he 
came  riding  across  the  moor,  he  saw  her.  He 
stopped  and  wondered  who  the  lovely  lady 


164  The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks 

could  be  that  walked  alone  on  the  moor  pick- 
ing thistledown  in  the  dead  of  the  night;  and 
he  asked  her  name.  Getting  no  answer,  he 
was  still  more  astonished,  but  he  liked  her  so 
much,  that  at  last  nothing  would  do  but  he 
must  take  her  home  to  his  castle  and  marry 
her.  So  he  took  her  and  put  her  upon  his 
horse.  The  Princess  wrung  her  hands,  and 
made  signs  to  him,  and  pointed  to  the  bags  in 
which  her  work  was,  and  when  the  King  saw 
she  wished  to  have  them  with  her  he  took  the 
bags  and  placed  them  behind  them. 

When  that  was  done  the  Princess,  little  by 
little,  came  to  herself,  for  the  King  was  both 
a  wise  man  and  a  handsome  man,  and  he  was 
as  gentle  and  kind  to  her  as  a  mother.  But 
when  they  reached  the  palace  an  old  woman 
met  them.  She  was  the  King's  guardian,  and 
when  she  set  eyes  on  the  Princess  she  became 
so  cross  and  jealous  of  her,  because  she  was  so 
lovely,  that  she  said  to  the  King : 

" Can't  you  see  now,  that  this  thing  whom 
you  have  picked  up,  and  whom  you  are  going 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  165 

to  marry,  is  a  witch?  Why,  she  can  neither 
talk  nor  laugh  nor  weep ! ' ' 

But  the  King  did  not  care  a  straw  for  what 
she  said.  He  held  to  the  wedding  and  married 
the  Princess,  and  they  lived  in  great  joy  and 
glory.  But  the  Princess  didn't  forget  to  go  on 
working  on  her  shirts,  and  she  neither  talked 
nor  laughed  nor  wept.  However,  when  she 
had  spun  and  woven  and  cut,  she  found  that 
she  still  had  not  enough  cloth  for  the  twelve 
shirts,  and  she  needs  must  go  to  the  witches' 
moor  again. 

So  that  night  while  all  the  palace  slept  she 
quietly  slipped  out  and  walked  off  to  pick  her 
thistledown,  but  the  old  woman  who  was  the 
King's  guardian  saw  her,  and  she  knew  well 
where  the  young  Queen  was  going,  for  I  must 
tell  you  she  was  the  same  wicked  witch  who 
had  changed  the  twelve  Princes  into  wild 
ducks.  She  hurried  to  the  King's  chamber, 
wroke  him  and  said,  "Now,  come  with  me  and 
I'll  prove  to  you  that  your  lovely  Queen  is  a 
witch,  who  joins  the  wicked  company  on  the 


166  The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks 

moor  at  midnight."  The  King  would  not 
listen  to  her  at  first,  but  when  he  saw  that  the 
Queen's  bed  was  empty,  he  got  up  and  went 
with  the  old  woman. 

And  there  upon  the  edge  of  the  moor  they 
stopped,  but  in  the  clear  moonlight  they  could 
see  the  Queen  among  the  horrid  hags  and 
trolls.  The  King  turned  away  sadly  and  said 
not  a  word,  for  he  loved  his  quiet  Queen 
very  much. 

But  the  wicked  old  woman  began  to  whisper 
and  tell  abroad  about  the  Queen's  nightly 
visit  to  the  moor,  and  at  last  the  King's  best 
men  came  to  him  and  said,  "We  will  not  have 
a  Queen  who  is  a  witch;  the  people  demand  of 
you  that  she  be  burnt  alive." 

Then  the  King  was  so  sad  that  there  was  no 
end  to  his  sadness,  for  now  he  saw  that  he 
could  not  save  her.  He  was  obliged  to  order 
her  to  be  burnt  alive  on  a  pile  of  wood.  When 
the  pile  was  all  ablaze,  and  they  were  about  to 
put  her  on  it,  she  made  signs  to  them  to  take 
twelve  boards  and  lay  them  around  the  pile. 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  167 

On  these  she  laid  the  shirts  for  her  brothers 
all  completed  but  that  for  the  youngest,  which 
lacked  its  left  sleeve;  she  had  not  had  time  to 
finish  it.  And  as  soon  as  ever  she  had  done 
that,  they  heard  a  flapping  and  whirring  in  the 
air,  and  down  came  twelve  wild  ducks  from 
over  the  forest,  and  each  snapped  up  his  shirt 
in  his  bill  and  flew  off  with  it. 

"See  now!"  said  the  old  woman  to  the  King, 
"wasn't  I  right  when  I  told  you  she  was  a 
witch!  Make  haste  and  burn  her  before  the 
pile  burns  low. ' ' 

"Oh!"  said  the  King,  "we've  wood  enough 
and  to  spare,  and  so  I'll  wait  a  bit,  for  I  have 
a  mind  to  see  what  the  end  of  this  will  be." 

As  he  spoke  up  came  the  twelve  Princes 
riding  along,  as  handsome  well-grown  lads  as 
you'd  wish  to  see;  but  the  youngest  Prince 
had  a  wild  duck's  wing  instead  of  his  left  arm. 
"What's  all  this  about?"  asked  the  Princes. 

"My  Queen  is  to  be  burnt,"  said  the  King, 
"because  she  is*  a  witch,  so  the  people  say,  and 
I  can't  save  her." 


168  The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks 

" Speak  now,  sister,"  said  the  Princes,  "you 
have  set  us  free  and  saved  us,  now  save 
yourself." 

Then  the  young  Queen  spoke  and  told  the 
whole  story,  and  the  King  and  all  the  people 
listened  with  wonder  and  joy.  Only  the 
wicked  old  woman  stood  trembling  with  fear.. 
And  when  the  Queen  had  finished  her  story, 
the  people  took  the  old  witch  and  bound  her 
and  burned  her  on  the  pile. 

But  the  King  took  his  wife  and  the  twelve 
Princes  and  went  home  with  them  to  their 
father  and  mother,  and  told  all  that  had 
befallen  them.  Then  there  was  joy  and  glad- 
ness over  the  whole  kingdom,  because  the 
wicked  witch  was  dead  and  the  Princes  saved 
and  set  free,  and  because  the  lovely  Princess 
had  set  free  her  twelve  brothers. 


Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  man  whose 
name  was  Gudbrand.    He  had  a  farm 
which  lay  far,  far  away  upon  a  hillside, 
and   so    they    called   him    Gudbrand-on-the- 
Hillside. 

Now,  you  must  know  this  man  and  his  good 
wife  lived  so  happily  together,  and  understood 
one  another  so  well,  that  all  the  husband  did 
the  wife  thought  so  well  done  there  was  noth- 
ing like  it  in  the  world,  and  she  was  always 
pleased  at  whatever  he  turned  his  hand  to. 
The  farm  was  their  own  land,  and  they  had  a 
hundred  dollars  lying  at  the  bottom  of  their 
chest  and  two  cows  tethered  up  in  a  stall  in 
their  farmyard. 

So  one  day  his  wife  said  to  Gudbrand,  "Do 
you  know,  dear,  I  think  we  ought  to  take  one 
of  our  cows  into  town  and  sell  it;  that's  what 
I  think;  for  then  we  shall  have  some  money  in 

169 


170  Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside 

hand,  and  such  well-to-do  people  as  we  ought 
to  have  ready  money  as  other  folks  have.  As 
for  the  hundred  dollars  in  the  chest  yonder, 
we  can't  make  a  hole  in  our  savings,  and  I'm 
sure  I  don't  know  what  we  want  with  more 
than  one  cow. 

"Besides,  we  shall  gain  a  little  in  another 
way,  for  then  I  shall  get  off  with  only  looking 
after  one  cow,  instead  of  having,  as  now,  to 
feed  and  litter  and  water  two." 

Well,  Gudbrand  thought  his  wife  talked 
right  good  sense,  so  he  set  off  at  once  with  the 
cow  on  the  way  to  town  to  sell  her;  but  when 
he  got  to  the  town,  there  was  no  one  who 
would  buy  his  cow. 

"Well,  well,  never  mind,"  said  Gudbrand, 
"at  the  worst,  I  can  only  go  back  home  with 
my  cow.  I've  both  stable  and  tether  for  her, 
and  the  road  is  no  farther  out  than  in."  And 
with  that  he  began  to  toddle  home  with  his 
cow. 

But  when  he  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  a 
man  met  him  who  had  a  horse  to  sell.    Gud- 


Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside  171 

brand  thought  'twas  better  to  have  a  horse 
than  a  cow,  so  he  traded  with  the  man.  A 
little  farther  on  he  met  a  man  walking  along 
and  driving  a  fat  pig  before  him,  and  he 
thought  it  better  to  have  a  fat  pig  than  a 
horse,  so  he  traded  with  the  man.  After  that 
he  went  a  little  farther,  and  a  man  met  him 
with  a  goat,  so  he  thought  it  better  to  have  a 
goat  than  a  pig,  and  he  traded  with  the  man 
who  owned  the  goat.  Then  he  went  on  a  good 
bit  till  he  met  a  man  who  had  a  sheep,  and  he 
traded  with  him  too,  for  he  thought  it  always 
better  to  have  a  sheep  than  a  goat.  After  a 
while  he  met  a  man  with  a  goose,  and  he 
traded  away  the  sheep  for  the  goose ;  and  when 
he  had  walked  a  long,  long  time,  he  met  a 
man  with  a  cock,  and  he  traded  with  him,  for 
he  thought  in  this  wise,  "  'Tis  surely  better  to 
have  a  cock  than  a  goose." 

Then  he  went  on  till  the  day  was  far  spent, 
and  he  began  to  get  very  hungry,  so  he  sold 
the  cock  for  a  shilling,  and  bought  food  with 
the   money,    for,    thought    Gudbrand-on-the- 


172  Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside 

Hillside,  "  'Tis  always  better  to  save  one's  life 
than  to  have  a  cock." 

After  that  he  went  on  homeward  till  he 
reached  his  nearest  neighbor's  house,  where 
he  turned  in. 

"Well,"  said  the  owner  of  the  house,  "how 
aid  things  go  with  you  in  town?" 

"Kather  so-so,"  said  Ghidbrand,  "I  can't 
praise  my  luck,  nor  do  I  blame  it  either,"  and 
with  that  he  told  the  whole  story  from  first  to 
last. 

"Ah!"  said  his  friend,  "you'll  get  nicely 
hauled  over  the  coals,  when  you  go  home  to 
your  wife.  Heaven  help  you,  I  wouldn't  stand 
in  your  shoes  for  anything. ' ' 

"Well,"  said  Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside,  "I 
think  things  might  have  gone  much  worse 
with  me ;  but  now,  whether  I  have  done  wrong 
or  not,  I  have  so  kind  a  good  wife  she  never 
has  a  word  to  say  against  anything  that  I  do." 

"Oh!"  answered  his  neighbor,  "I  hear 
what  you  say,  but  I  don't  believe  it  for  all 
that." 


Gudbrand-on-  the-Hillside  173 

"And  so  you  doubt  it?"  asked  Gudbrand- 
on-the-Hillside. 

"Yes,"  said  the  friend,  "I  have  a  hundred 
crowns,  at  the  bottom  of  my  chest  at  home, 
I  will  give  you  if  you  can  prove  what  you  say." 

So  Gudbrand  stayed  there  till  evening, 
when  it  began  to  get  dark,  and  then  they  went 
together  to  his  house,  and  the  neighbor  was  to 
stand  outside  the  door  and  listen,  while  the 
man  went  in  to  his  wife. 

"Good  evening!"  said  Gudbrand-on-the 
Hillside. 

' '  Good  evening ! ' '  said  the  good  wife.  "  Oh ! 
is  that  you?    Now,  I  am  happy. " 

Then  the  wife  asked  how  things  had  gone 
with  him  in  town. 

"Oh,  only  so-so,"  answered  Gudbrand; 
"not  much  to  brag  of.  When  I  got  to  town 
there  was  no  one  who  would  buy  the  cow,  so 
you  must  know  I  traded  it  away  for  a  horse." 

"For  a  horse,"  said  his  wife;  "well  that  is 
good  of  you;  thanks  with  all  my  heart.  We 
are  so  well  to  do  that  we  may  drive  to  church, 


174  Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside 

just  as  well  as  other  people,  and  if  we  choose 
to  keep  a  horse  we  have  a  right  to  get  one,  I 
should  think."  So,  turning  to  her  child  she 
said,  "Run  out,  deary,  and  put  up  the  horse." 

"Ah!"  said  Gudbrand,  "but  you  see  I  have 
not  the  horse  after  all,  for  when  I  got  a  bit 
farther  on  the  road,  I  traded  it  for  a  pig." 

"Think  of  that,  now!"  said  the  wife.  "You 
did  just  as  I  should  have  done  myself;  a 
thousand  thanks!  Now  I  can  have  a  bit  of 
bacon  in  the  house  to  set  before  people  when 
they  come  to  see  me,  that  I  can.  What  do  we 
want  with  a  horse?  People  would  only  say 
we  had  got  so  proud  that  we  couldn't  walk  to 
church.  Go  out,  child,  and  put  up  the  pig  in 
the  sty." 

"Bur  I  have  not  the  pig  either,"  said 
Gudbrand,  "for  when  I  got  a  little  farther  on, 
I  traded  it  for  a  goat." 

"Dear  me!"  cried  the  wife,  "how  well  you 
manage  everything !  Now  I  think  it  over,  what 
should  I  do  with  a  pig?  People  would  only 
point  at  us  and  say  'Yonder  they  eat  up  all 


Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside  175 

they  have. '  No,  now  I  have  a  goat,  and  I  shall 
have  milk  and  cheese,  and  keep  the  goat  too. 
Run  out,  child,  and  put  up  the  goat." 

"Nay,  but  I  haven't  the  goat  either,"  said 
Gudbrand,  "for  a  little  farther  on  I  traded  it 
away  and  got  a  fine  sheep  instead!" 

"You  don't  say  so!"  cried  his  wife,  "why, 
you  do  everything  to  please  me,  just  as  if  I 
had  been  with  you.  What  do  we  want  with  a 
goat  1  If  I  had  it  I  should  lose  half  my  time  in 
climbing  up  the  hills  to  get  it  down.  No,  if  I 
have  a  sheep,  I  shall  have  both  wool  and  cloth- 
ing, and  fresh  meat  in  the  house.  Run  out, 
child,  and  put  up  the  sheep." 

"But  I  haven't  the  sheep  any  more  than  the 
rest,"  said  Gudbrand,  "for  when  I  got  a  bit 
farther,  I  traded  it  away  for  a  goose." 

"Thank  you,  thank  you,  with  all  my  heart," 
cried  his  wife,  "what  should  I  do  with  a 
sheep?  I  have  no  spinning  wheel  or  carding 
comb,  nor  should  I  care  to  worry  myself  with 
cutting,  and  shaping,  and  sewing  clothes.  We 
can  buy  clothes  now  as  we  have  always  done; 


176  Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside 

and  now  I  shall  have  roast  goose,  which  I  have 
longed  for  so  often;  and,  besides,  down  with 
*vhich  to  istuff:  my  little  pillow.  Run  out,  child, 
and  put  up  the  goose. 

"Well!"  said  Gudbrand,  "I  haven't  the 
goose  either;  for  when  I  had  gone  a  bit  farther 
I  traded  it  for  a  cock. ' ' 

"Dear  me!"  cried  his  wife,  "how  you  think 
of  everything!  just  as  I  should  have  done 
myself.  A  cock!  think  of  that!  Why  it's  as 
good  as  an  eight  day  clock,  for  every  day  the 
cock  crows  at  four  o'clock,  and  we  shall  be 
able  to  stir  our  stiff  legs  in  good  time.  What 
should  we  do  with  a  goose?  I  don't  know  how 
to  cook  it;  and  as  for  my  pillow,  I  can  stuff  it 
with  cotton  grass.  Run  out,  child,  and  put  up 
the  cock." 

"But  after  all,  I  haven't  the  cock  either," 
said  Gudbrand,  "for  when  I  had  gone  a  bit 
farther,  I  became  as  hungry  as  a  hunter,  so  I 
was  forced  to  sell  the  cock  for  a  shilling,  for 
fear  I  should  starve." 

"Now,  God  be  praised  that  you  did  so!" 


Gudbrand-on-the-Hillside  177 

cried  his  wife,  "  whatever  you  do,  you  do  it 
always  just  after  my  own  heart.  What  should 
we  do  with  the  cock  %  We  are  our  own  masters, 
I  should  think,  and  can  lie  abed  in  the  morn- 
ing as  long  as  we  like.  Heaven  be  thanked 
that  I  have  you  safe  back  again;  you  who  do 
everything  so  well,  that  I  want  neither  cock 
nor  goose;  neither  pigs  nor  kine." 

Then  Gudbrand  opened  the  door  and  said, — 
"Well,  what  do  you  say  now?    Have  I  won 
the  hundred  crowns?''  and  his  neighbor  was 
forced  to  admit  that  he  had. 


11 


The  Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill 

ONCE  on  a  time,  there  was  a  man  who 
had  a  meadow,  which  lay  high  upon 
the  hillside,  and  in  the  meadow  was  a 
barn,  which  he  had  built  to  keep  his  hay  in. 
Now,  I  must  tell  you  there  hadn't  been  much 
in  the  barn  for  the  last  year  or  two,  for  every 
St.  John's  night,  when  the  grass  stood  green- 
est and  deepest,  the  meadow  was  eaten  down 
to  the  very  ground  the  next  morning,  just  as 
if  a  whole  drove  of  sheep  had  been  there  feed- 
ing on  it  over  night.  This  happened  once,  and 
it  happened  twice;  so  at  last  the  man  grew 
weary  of  losing  his  crop  of  hay,  and  said  to  his 
sons — for  he  had  three  of  them,  and  the 
youngest  was  nicknamed  Boots,  of  course — 
that  now  one  of  them  must  just  go  and  sleep 
in  the  barn  in  the  outlying  field  when  St. 
John's  night  came,  for  it  was  no  joke  that  his 
grass  should  be  eaten,  root  and  blade,  this 
year,  as  it  had  been  the  last  two  years.    So 

179 


180  The  Princess  on 

whichever  of  them  went  must  keep  a  sharp 
look-out;  that  was  what  their  father  said. 

Well,  the  eldest  son  was  ready  to  go  and 
watch  the  meadow;  trust  him  for  looking  after 
the  grass.  So,  when  evening  came,  he  set  off 
to  the  barn,  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  But  a  little 
on  in  the  night  came  such  a  clatter,  and  such 
an  earthquake,  that  walls  and  roof  shook,  and 
groaned,  and  creaked.  Then  up  jumped  the 
lad,  and  took  to  his  heels  as  fast  as  ever  he 
could;  nor  dared  he  once  look  around  until  he 
reached  home;  and  as  for  the  hay,  why  it  was 
eaten  up  this  year  just  as  it  had  been  twice 
before. 

The  next  St.  John's  night,  the  man  said 
again  it  would  never  do  to  lose  all  the  grass  in 
the  outlying  field  year  after  year  in  this  way, 
so  one  of  his  sons  must  just  trudge  off  to 
watch  it,  and  watch  it  well  too.  Well,  the  next 
oldest  son  was  ready  to  try  his  luck,  so  he  set 
off  and  sat  down  to  watch  in  the  barn  as  his 
brother  had  done  before  him.  But  as  the  night 
wore  on,  there  came  on  a  rumbling  and  quak- 


The  Glass  Hill  181 

ing  of  the  earth,  worse  even  than  on  the  last 
St.  John's  night,  and  when  the  lad  heard  it, 
he  got  frightened,  and  took  to  his  heels  as 
though  he  were  running  a  race. 

Next  year  the  turn  came  to  Boots ;  but  when 
he  made  ready  to  go  the  other  two  began  to 
laugh  and  to  make  game  of  him,  saying, — 

"You're  just  the  man  to  watch  the  hay, 
that  you  are;  you,  who  have  done  nothing  all 
your  life  but  sit  in  the  ashes  and  toast  your- 
self by  the  fire." 

But  Boots  did  not  care  a  pin  for  their  chat- 
tering, and  as  evening  drew  on,  he  walked  up 
the  hillside  to  the  outlying  field.  There  he 
went  inside  the  barn  and  sat  down;  but  in 
about  an  hour's  time  the  barn  began  to  groan 
and  creak,  so  that  it  was  dreadful  to  hear. 

"Well,"  said  Boots  to  himself,  "if  it  isn't 
worse  than  this,  I  can  stand  it  well  enough." 

A  little  while  after  came  another  creak  and 
an  earthquake,  so  that  the  litter  in  the  barn 
flew  about  the  lad's  ears. 


182  The  Princess  on 

"Oh!"  said  Boots  to  himself,  "if  it  isn't 
worse  than  this,  I  daresay  I  can  stand  it  out. ' ' 

But  just  then  came  a  third  rumbling  and  a 
third  earthquake,  so  that  the  lad  thought 
walls  and  roof  were  coming  down  on  his  head; 
but  it  passed  off,  and  all  was  still  as  death 
about  him. 

"It'll  come  again,  I'll  be  bound,"  thought 
Boots;  but  no,  it  didn't  come  again;  still  it 
was,  and  still  it  stayed.  But  after  he  had  sat 
a  little  while,  he  heard  a  noise  as  if  a  horse 
were  standing  just  outside  the  barn  door,  and 
feeding  on  the  grass.  He  stole  to  the  door,  and 
peeped  through  a  chink,  and  there  stood  a 
horse  feeding  away.  So  big,  and  fat,  and 
grand  a  horse,  Boots  had  never  set  eyes  on.  By 
his  side  on  the  grass  lay  a  saddle  and  bridle, 
and  a  full  set  of  armor  for  a  knight,  all  of 
brass,  so  bright  that  the  light  gleamed  from  it. 

"Ho,  ho!"  thought  the  lad;  "it's  you,  is  it, 
that  eats  up  our  hay?" 

So  he  lost  no  time,  but  took  the  steel  out  of 
his  tinder  box  and  threw  it  over  the  horse; 


The  Glass  Hill  183 

then  it  had  no  power  to  stir  from  the  spot,  and 
became  so  tame  that  the  lad  could  do  what  he 
liked  with  it.  Then  he  got  on  its  back,  and 
rode  off  with  it  to  a  place  which  no  one  knew 
of,  and  there  he  put  up  the  horse.  When  he 
got  home,  his  brothers  laughed,  and  asked 
how  he  had  fared. 

"You  didn't  sit  long  in  the  barn,  even  if  you 
had  the  heart  to  go  as  far  as  the  field." 

"Well,"  said  Boots,  "all  I  can  say  is,  I  sat 
in  the  barn  till  the  sun  rose." 

"A  pretty  story,"  said  his  brothers;  "but 
we'll  soon  see  how  you  have  watched  the  mea- 
dow;" so  they  set  off;  but  when  they  reached 
it,  there  stood  the  grass  as  deep  and  thick  as  it 
had  been  over  night. 

Well,  the  next  St.  John's  eve  it  was  the 
same  story  over  again;  neither  of  the  elder 
brothers  dared  to  go  out  to  the  outlying  field 
to  watch  the  crop ;  but  Boots,  he  had  the  heart 
to  go,  and  everything  happened  just  as  it  had 
the  year  before.  First  a  clatter  and  an  earth- 
quake,  then   a  greater   clatter   and   another 


184  The  Princess  on 

earthquake,  and  so  on  a  third  time;  only  this 
year  the  earthquakes  were  far  worse  than  the 
year  before.  Then  all  at  once  everything  was 
still  as  death,  and  the  lad  heard  how  something 
was  cropping  the  grass  outside  the  barn  door, 
so  he  stole  to  the  door,  and  peeped  through  a 
chink ;  and  what  do  you  think  he  saw  %  Why, 
another  horse  standing  right  up  against  the 
wall,  and  chewing  and  champing  with  might 
and  main.  It  was  far  larger  and  finer  than 
that  which  came  the  year  before,  and  it  had  a 
saddle  on  its  back,  and  a  bridle  on  its  head, 
and  a  full  suit  of  mail  for  a  knight  lay  by  its 
side,  all  of  silver,  and  as  splendid  as  you  would 
wish  to  see. 

''Ho,  ho!"  said  Boots  to  himself;  "it's  you 
that  gobbles  up  our  hay,  is  it?"  And  with  that 
he  took  the  steel  out  of  his  tinder  box,  and 
threw  it  over  the  horse's  crest;  then  it  stood 
as  still  as  a  lamb.  Well,  the  lad  rode  this 
horse,  too,  to  the  hiding  place  where  he  kept 
the  other  one,  and  after  that,  he  went  home. 

"I  suppose  you'll  tell  us,"  said  one  of  his 


The  Glass  Hill  185 


brothers,  "there's  a  fine  crop  this  year  too,  up 
in  the  hay  field. ' ' 

"Well,  so  there  is,"  said  Boots;  and  off  ran 
the  others  to  see,  and  there  stood  the  grass 
thick  and  deep,  as  it  was  the  year  before;  but 
they  didn't  give  Boots  softer  words  for  all 
that. 

Now,  when  the  third  St.  John  s  eve  came, 
the  two  elder  still  hadn't  the  heart  to  sit  out 
in  the  barn  and  watch  the  grass,  for  they  had 
got  so  scared  at  heart  the  night  they  sat  there 
before,  that  they  couldn't  get  over  the  fright. 
But  Boots  dared  to  go;  and  the  very  same 
thing  happened  this  time  that  had  happened 
twice  before.  Three  earthquakes  came,  one 
after  the  other,  each  worse  than  the  one  which 
went  before,  and  when  the  last  came,  the  lad 
danced  about  with  the  shock  from  one  barn 
wall  to  the  other ;  and  after  that,  all  at  once,  it 
was  still  as  death.  Now,  when  he  had  sat  a 
little  while,  he  heard  something  cropping  away 
at  the  grass  outside  the  barn,  so  he  stole  again 
to  the  door  chink,  and  peeped  out,  and  there 


186  The  Princess  on 

stood  a  horse  outside — far,  far  bigger  and 
more  beautiful  than  the  two  he  had  taken 
before.  It  had  a  saddle  on  its  back,  a  bridle 
on  its  head,  and  a  full  suit  of  mail  for  a  knight 
lay  by  its  side — all  of  gold,  all  more  splendid 
than  anything  you  ever  saw. 

"Ho,  ho!"  said  the  lad  to  himself,  "it's  you, 
is  it,  that  comes  here  eating  up  our  hay?  I'll 
soon  stop  that."  So  he  caught  up  his  steel,  and 
threw  it  over  the  horse's  neck,  and  in  a  trice 
it  stood  as  if  it  were  nailed  to  the  ground,  and 
Boots  could  do  as  he  pleased  with  it.  Then  he 
rode  off  with  it  to  the  hiding  place,  where  he 
kept  the  other  two,  and  then  went  home. 
When  he  got  home,  his  two  brothers  made 
game  of  him  as  they  had  done  before,  saying, 
they  could  see  he  had  watched  the  grass  well, 
for  he  looked  for  all  the  world  as  if  he  were 
walking  in  his  sleep,  and  many  other  spiteful 
things  they  said,  but  Boots  gave  no  heed  to 
them,  only  asking  them  to  go  and  see  for  them- 
selves; and  when  they  went,  there  stood  the 


So  he   caught  up  the   steel    and   threw   it   over  the   horse 


The  Glass  Hill  189 


grass  as  fine  and  deep  this  time  as  it  had  been 
twice  before. 


Now  you  must  know  that  the  king  of  the 
country  where  Boots  lived  had  a  daughter, 
whom  he  would  only  give  to  the  man  who 
could  ride  up  over  the  hill  of  glass,  for  there 
was  a  high,  high  hill,  all  of  glass,  as  smooth 
and  slippery  as  ice,  close  by  the  king's  palace. 
Upon  the  tip  top  of  the  hill  the  king's  daugh- 
ter was  to  sit,  with  three  golden  apples  in  her 
lap,  and  the  man  who  could  ride  up  and  carry 
off  the  three  golden  apples  was  to  have  half 
the  kingdom,  and  the  Princess  to  wife.  This 
offer  the  king  had  posted  on  all  the  church 
doors  in  his  realm;  and  had  given  it  out  in 
many  other  kingdoms  besides.  Now,  this 
Princess  was  so  lovely,  that  all  who  set  eyes  on 
her  loved  her.  So  I  needn't  tell  you  how  all 
the  princes  and  knights  who  heard  of  her  were 
eager  to  win  her  to  wife,  and  half  the  kingdom 
besides;  and  how  they  came  riding  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  on  high  prancing  horses, 


190  The  Princess  on 

and  clad  in  the  grandest  clothes,  for  there 
wasn't  one  of  them  who  hadn't  made  up  his 
mind  that  he,  and  he  alone,  was  to  win  the 
Princess. 

So  when  the  day  of  trial  came,  which  the 
king  had  fixed,  there  was  such  a  crowd  of 
princes  and  knights  under  the  glass  hill,  that 
it  made  one's  head  whirl  to  look  at  them;  and 
every  one  in  the  country  who  could  even  crawl 
along  was  off  to  the  hill,  for  they  all  were 
eager  to  see  the  man  who  was  to  win  the  Prin- 
cess. Thus  the  two  elder  brothers  set  off  with 
the  rest;  but  as  for  Boots,  they  said  outright 
he  shouldn't  go  with  them,  for  if  they  were 
seen  with  such  a  dirty  fellow,  all  begrimed 
with  smut  from  cleaning  their  shoes,  and  sift- 
ing cinders  in  the  dust-hole,  they  said  folk 
would  make  game  of  them. 

"Very  well,"  said  Boots;  "it's  all  one  to 
me.    I  can  go  alone." 

Now,  when  the  two  brothers  came  to  the 
Mil  of  glass,  the  knights  and  princes  were  all 
hard  at  it,  riding  their  horses  till  they  were  all 


The  Glass  Hill  191 

in  a  foam;  but  it  was  no  good;  for  as  soon  as 
ever  the  horses  set  foot  on  the  hill,  down  they 
slipped,  and  there  wasn't  one  who  could  get 
a  yard  or  two  up;  and  no  wonder,  for  the  hill 
was  as  smooth  as  a  sheet  of  glass,  and  as  steep 
as  a  house-wall.  But  all  were  eager  to  have 
the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom.  So  they 
rode  and  slipped,  and  slipped  and  rode,  and 
still  it  was  the  same  story  over  again.  At  last 
all  their  horses  were  so  weary  that  they  could 
scarce  lift  a  leg,  and  so  the  knights  had  to  give 
up  trying  any  more. 

The  king  was  just  thinking  that  he  would 
proclaim  a  new  trial  for  the  next  day,  to  see 
if  they  would  have  better  luck,  when  all  at 
once  a  knight  came  riding  up  on  so  brave 
a  steed,  that  no  one  had  ever  seen  the  like 
of  it  in  his  born  days,  and  the  knight  had  a 
mail  of  brass,  and  the  horse  a  brass  bit  in  his 
mouth,  so  bright  that  the  sunbeams  shone 
from  it.  Then  all  the  others  called  out  to  him 
that  he  might  just  as  well  spare  himself  the 
trouble  of  riding  at  the  hill,  for  it  would  lead 


192  The  Princess  on 

to  no  good;  but  lie  gave  no  heed  to  them,  and 
put  his  horse  at  the  hill,  and  went  up  it  for  a 
good  way,  about  a  third  of  the  height;  and 
when  he  had  got  so  far,  he  turned  his  horse 
round  and  rode  down  again.  So  lovely  a 
knight  the  Princess  thought  she  had  never  yet 
seen;  and  while  he  was  riding,  she  sat  and 
thought  to  herself, — 

"Ah,  how  I  wish  that  he  might  come  up  and 
go  down  the  other  side. ' ' 

And  when  she  saw  him  turning  back,  she 
threw  down  one  of  the  golden  apples  after 
him,  and  it  rolled  down  into  his  shoe.  But 
when  he  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill  he  rode 
off  so  fast  that  no  one  could  tell  what  had 
become  of  him.  That  evening  all  the  knights 
and  princes  were  to  go  before  the  king,  that 
he  who  had  ridden  so  far  up  the  hill  might 
show  the  apple  which  the  Princess  had 
thrown,  but  there  was  no  one  who  had  any- 
thing to  show.  One  after  the  other  they  all 
came,  but  not  a  man  of  them  could  show  the 
apple. 


The  Glass  Hill  193 

The  next  day,  all  the  princes  and  knights 
began  to  ride  again,  and  you  may  fancy  they 
had  taken  care  to  shoe  their  horses  well;  but 
it  was  no  use, — they  rode  and  slipped,  and 
slipped  and  rode,  just  as  they  had  done  the 
day  before;  and  there  was  not  one  who  could 
get  so  far  as  a  yard  up  the  hill.  And  when 
they  had  worn  out  their  horses,  so  that  they 
could  not  stir  a  leg,  they  were  all  forced  to 
give  it  up.  So  the  king  thought  he  might  as 
well  proclaim  that  the  riding  should  take  place 
the  day  after  for  the  last  time,  just  to  give 
them  one  chance  more;  but  all  at  once  it  came 
across  his  mind  that  he  might  as  well  wait  a 
little  longer,  to  see  if  the  knight  in  brass  mail 
would  come  this  day  too.  Well!  they  saw 
nothing  of  him;  but  all  at  once  came  one  riding 
on  a  steed,  far,  far  braver  and  finer  than  that 
on  which  the  knight  in  brass  had  ridden,  and 
he  had  silver  mail,  and  a  silver  saddle  and 
bridle,  all  so  bright  that  the  sunbeams  gleamed 
and  glanced  from  them  far  away.  Then  the 
others  shouted  out  to  him  again,  saying  he 


194  The  Princess  on 

might  as  well  stop,  and  not  try  to  ride  up  the 
hill,  for  all  his  trouble  would  be  thrown  away. 
But  the  knight  paid  no  heed  to  them,  and  rode 
straight  at  the  hill,  and  right  up  it,  till  he  had 
gone  two-thirds  of  the  way,  and  then  he 
wheeled  his  horse  around  and  rode  down 
again.  To  tell  the  truth,  the  Princess  liked 
him  still  better  than  the  knight  in  brass,  and 
she  sat  and  wished  he  might  be  able  to  come 
right  up  to  the  top,  and  down  the  other  side; 
but  when  she  saw  him  turning  back,  she  threw 
the  second  apple  after  him,  and  it  rolled  down 
and  fell  into  his  shoe.  But  as  soon  as  ever  he 
had  come  down  the  hill  of  glass,  he  rode  off 
so  fast  that  no  one  could  see  what  became  of 
him. 

At  even,  all  were  to  go  in  before  the  king 
and  the  Princess,  that  he  who  had  the  golden 
apple  might  show  it.  In  they  went,  one  aftei 
the  other,  but  there  was  no  one  who  had  any 
apple  to  show. 

The  third  day  everything  happened  as  it 
had  happened  the  two  days  before.  There  wa? 


The  Glass  Hill  195 

no  one  who  could  get  so  much  as  a  yard  up 
the  hill;  and  now  all  waited  for  the  knight  in 
silver  mail,  but  they  neither  saw  nor  heard  of 
him.  At  last  came  one  riding  on  a  steed,  so 
brave  that  no  one  had  ever  seen  his  match; 
and  the  knight  had  a  suit  of  golden  mail,  and 
a  golden  saddle  and  bridle,  so  wondrous  bright 
that  the  sunbeams  gleamed  from  them  a  mile 
off.  The  other  knights  and  princes  could  not 
find  time  to  call  out  to  him  not  to  try  his  luck, 
for  they  were  amazed  to  see  how  grand  he 
was.  So  he  rode  at  the  hill,  and  tore  up  it 
like  nothing,  so  that  the  Princess  hadn't  even 
time  to  wish  that  he  might  get  up  the  whole 
way.  As  soon  as  ever  he  reached  the  top,  he 
took  the  third  golden  apple  from  the  Prin- 
cess's lap,  and  then  turned  his  horse  and  rode 
down  again.  As  soon  as  he  got  down  he  rode 
off  at  full  speed,  and  was  out  of  sight  in  no 
time. 

Now,  when  the  two  brothers  got  home  at 
even,  you  may  fancy  what  long  stories  they 


196  The  Princess  on 

told,  how  the  riding  had  gone  off  that  day;  and 
amongst  other  things,  they  had  a  deal  to  say 
about  the  knight  in  golden  mail. 

"He  just  was  a  chap  to  ride,"  they  said;  "so 
grand  a  knight  isn't  to  be  found  in  this  wide 
world." 

Next  day  all  the  knights  and  princes  were 
to  pass  before  the  king  and  the  Princess — 
that  he  who  had  the  gold  apple  might  bring  it 
forth;  but  one  came  after  another,  first  the 
princes,  then  the  knights,  and  still  no  one 
could  show  the  gold  apple. 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  "some  one  must  have 
it,  for  it  was  something  that  we  all  saw  with 
our  own  eyes,  how  a  man  came  and  rode  up 
and  bore  it  off. ' ' 

So  he  commanded  that  everyone  who  was  in 
the  kingdom  should  come  up  to  the  palace  and 
see  if  he  could  show  the  apple.  Well,  they  all 
came  one  after  another,  but  no  one  had  the 
golden  apple,  and  after  a  long  time  the  two 
brothers  of  Boots  came.     They  were  the  last 


The  Glass  Hill  197 


of  all,  so  the  king  asked  them  if  there  was  no 
one  else  in  the  kingdom  who  hadn't  come. 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  they;  "we  have  a  brother, 
but  he  never  carried  off  the  golden  apple.  He 
hasn't  stirred  out  of  the  dust-hole  on  any  of 
the  three  days." 

"Never  mind  that,"  said  the  king;  "he  may 
as  well  come  up  to  the  palace  like  the  rest." 
So  he  came. 

"How,  now,"  said  the  king;  "have  you  the 
golden  apple?  Speak  out." 

"Yes,  I  have,"  said  Boots;  "here  is  the  first, 
and  here  is  the  second,  and  here  is  the  third, 
too ; ' '  and  with  that  he  pulled  all  three  golden 
apples  out  of  his  pocket,  and  at  the  same  time 
threw  off  his  sooty  rags,  and  stood  before 
them  in  his  gleaming  golden  mail. 

"Yes,"  said  the  king;  "you  shall  have  my 
daughter,  and  half  my  kingdom,  for  you  well 
deserve  both  her  and  it. ' ' 

So  they  got  ready  for  the  wedding,  and 
Boots  got  the  Princess  to  wife,  and  there  was 
great  merry-making  at  the  bridal-feast,  you 


198  The  Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill 

may  fancy,  for  they  could  all  be  merry  though 
they  couldn't  ride  up  the  hill  of  glass;  and  all 
I  can  say  is,  if  they  haven't  left  off  their 
merry-making  yet,  why,  they're  still  at  it. 


The   Husband  Who  Was   to 
Mind  the   House 

ONCE  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  so  mean 
and  cross  that  he  never  thought  his 
wife  did  anything  right  in  the  house. 
So  one  evening  in  hay-making  time  he  came 
home  scolding  and  tearing,  and  showing  his 
teeth  and  making  a  fuss. 

"Dear  love,  don't  be  so  angry;  there's  a  good 
man,"  said  his  goody;  "to-morrow  let's  change 
our  work.  I'll  go  out  with  the  mowers  and 
mow,  and  you  shall  mind  the  house  at  home. ' ' 

The  husband  thought  that  would  do  very 
well.    He  was  quite  willing,  he  said. 

So,  early  next  morning  his  goody  took  a 
scythe  on  her  shoulders,  and  went  out  into  the 
hayfield  with  the  mowers,  and  began  to  mow; 
but  the  man  was  to  mind  the  house  and  do  the 
work  at  home. 

First  of  all  he  wanted  to  churn  the  butter; 
but  when  he  had  churned  a  while,  he  grew 
thirsty  and  went  down  to  the  cellar  to  tap  a 

199 


200  The  Husband  Who 

barrel  of  ale.  So,  just  when  lie  was  putting 
the  tap  into  the  cask,  he  heard  overhead  the 
pig  come  into  the  kitchen.  Then  off  he  ran  up 
the  cellar  steps,  with  the  tap  in  his  hand,  as 
fast  as  he  could  to  look  after  the  pig,  lest  it 
should  upset  the  churn.  But  when  he  got  up, 
and  saw  the  pig  had  already  knocked  the 
churn  over  and  stood  there  grunting  and  root- 
ing in  the  cream  which  was  running  all  over 
the  floor,  he  became  so  wild  with  rage,  that  he 
quite  forgot  the  ale  barrel,  and  ran  at  the  pig 
as  hard  as  he  could. 

He  caught  it,  too,  just  as  it  ran  out  of  doors, 
and  gave  it  such  a  kick  that  piggy  died  on  the 
spot.  Then  all  at  once  he  remembered  he  had 
the  tap  in  his  hand;  but  when  he  got  down  to 
the  cellar,  every  drop  of  ale  had  run  out  of  the 
cask. 

Then  he  went  into  the  dairy  ana  found 
enough  cream  left  to  fill  the  churn  again,  and 
so  he  began  to  churn,  for  butter  they  must 
have  at  dinner.  When  he  had  churned  a  bit, 
he  remembered  that  their  milking  cow  was 


Was  to  Mind  the  House  201 

still  shut  up  in  its  stall,  and  had  not  had  a 
mouthful  to  eat  or  a  drop  to  drink  all  the 
morning,  though  the  sun  was  high.  Then  he 
thought  it  was  too  far  to  take  her  down  to  the 
meadow,  so  he'd  just  get  her  up  on  the  house 
top,  for  the  house,  you  must  know,  was 
thatched  with  sods,  and  a  fine  crop  of  grass 
was  growing  there.  Now  their  house  lay  close 
up  against  a  steep  rock,  and  he  thought  if  he 
laid  a  plank  across  to  the  roof  at  the  back,  he'd 
easily  get  the  cow  up. 

But  still  he  could  not  leave  the  churn,  for 
there  was  their  little  babe  crawling  about  the 
floor,  and,  "If  I  leave  it,"  he  thought,  "the 
child  is  sure  to  upset  it." 

So  he  took  the  churn  on  his  back  and  went 
out  with  it.  Then  he  thought  he'd  better 
water  the  cow  before  he  turned  her  out  on  the 
thatch,  and  he  took  up  a  bucket  to  draw  water 
out  of  the  well.  But,  as  he  stooped  down  at 
the  brink  of  the  well,  all  the  cream  ran  out  of 
the  churn  over  his  shoulders,  about  his  neck, 
and  down  into  the  well. 


202  The  Husband  Who 


Now  it  was  near  dinner  time,  and  he  had  not 
even  got  butter  yet.  So  he  thought  he'd  best 
boil  the  porridge,  and  he  filled  the  pot  with 
water,  and  hung  it  over  the  fire.  When  he  had 
done  that,  he  thought  the  cow  might  perhaps 
fall  off  the  thatch  and  break  her  legs  or  her 
neck.  So  he  got  up  on  the  house  to  tie  her  up. 
One  end  of  the  rope  he  made  fast  to  the  cow's 
neck,  and  the  other  he  slipped  down  the  chim- 
ney and  tied  round  his  own  waist.  He  had  to 
make  haste,  for  the  water  now  began  to  boil 
in  the  pot,  and  he  had  still  to  grind  the 
oatmeal. 

So  he  began  to  grind  away;  but  while  he  was 
hard  at  it,  down  fell  the  cow  off  the  housetop 
after  all,  and  as  she  fell  she  dragged  the  man 
up  the  chimney  by  the  rope.  There  he  stuck 
fast.  And  as  for  the  cow,  she  hung  halfway 
down  the  wall,  swinging  between  heaven  and 
earth,  for  she  could  neither  get  down  nor  up. 

And  now  the  goody  had  waited  seven 
lengths  and  seven  breadths  for  her  husband  to 
come  and  call  them  home  to  dinner,  but  never 


Was  to  Mind  the  House  203 

a  call  they  had.     At  last  she  thought  she'd 
waited  long  enough  and  went  home. 

When  she  got  there  and  saw  the  cow  hang- 
ing in  such  an  ugly  place,  she  ran  up  and  cut 
the  rope  in  two  with  her  scythe.  But  as  she 
did  this,  down  came  her  husband  out  of  the 
chimney,  and  so  when  his  old  dame  came  inside 
the  kitchen,  there  she  found  him  standing  on 
his  head  in  the  porridge  pot. 


18 


Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 

ONCE  there  was  a  farmer  who  had  an 
only  son.  The  lad  had  had  very  poor 
health  so  he  could  not  go  out  to  work 
in  the  field. 

His  name  was  Freddy,  but,  since  he 
remained  such  a  wee  bit  of  a  fellow,  they 
called  him  Little  Freddy.  At  home  there  was 
but  little  to  eat  and  nothing  at  all  to  burn,  so 
his  father  went  about  the  country  trying  to 
get  the  boy  a  place  as  cowherd  or  errand  boy; 
but  there  was  no  one  who  would  take  the 
weakly  little  lad  till  they  came  to  the  sheriff. 
He  was  ready  to  take  him,  for  he  had  just  sent 
off  his  errand  boy,  and  there  was  no  one  who 
would  fill  his  place,  for  everybody  knew  the 
sheriff  was  a  great  miser. 

But  the  farmer  thought  it  was  better  there 
than  nowhere;  he  would  get  his  food,  for  all 
the  pay  he  was  to  get  was  his  board — there 
was   nothing  said   about   wages   or   clothes. 

20s 


206        Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 

When  the  lad  had  served  three  years  he 
wanted  to  leave,  and  the  sheriff  gave  him  all 
his  wages  at  one  time.  He  was  to  have  a 
penny  a  year.  "It  couldn't  well  be  less,"  said 
the  sheriff.    And  so  he  got  three  pence  in  all. 

As  for  Little  Freddy,  he  thought  it  was  a 
great  sum,  for  he  had  never  owned  so  much; 
but,  for  all  that,  he  asked  if  he  wasn't  to  have 
anything  for  clothes,  for  those  he  had  on  were 
worn  to  rags.  He  had  not  had  any  new  ones 
since  he  came  to  the  sheriff's  three  years  ago. 

"You  have  what  we  agreed  on,"  said  the 
sheriff,  "and  three  whole  pennies  besides.  I 
have  nothing  more  to  do  with  you.  Be  off!" 

So  Little  Freddy  went  into  the  kitchen  and 
got  a  little  food  in  his  knapsack,  and  after  that 
he  set  off  on  the  road  to  buy  himself  more 
clothes.  He  was  both  merry  and  glad,  for  he 
had  never  seen  a  penny  before,  and  every  now 
and  then  he  felt  in  his  pockets  as  he  went 
along  to  see  if  he  had  them  all  three.  So,  when 
he  had  gone  far  and  farther  than  far,  he  got 
up  on  top  of  the  mountains.     He  was  not 


Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle        207 

strong  on  his  legs,  and  had  to  rest  every  now 
and  then,  and  then  he  counted  and  counted 
how  many  pennies  he  had.  And  now  he  came 
to  a  great  plain  overgrown  with  moss.  There 
he  sat  down  and  began  to  see  if  his  money 
was  all  right.  Suddenly  a  beggarman  appeared 
before  him,  so  tall  and  big  that  when  he  got  a 
good  look  at  him  and  saw  his  height  and 
length,  the  lad  began  to  scream  and  screech. 

"Don't  you  be  afraid,"  said  the  beggarman, 
"I'll  do  you  no  harm,  I  came  only  to  beg  you 
for  a  penny." 

"Dear  me!"  said  the  lad,  "I  have  only  three 
pennies,  and  with  them  I  was  going  to  town 
to  buy  clothes." 

"It  is  worse  for  me  than  for  you,"  said  the 
beggarman,  "I  have  not  one  penny,  and  I  am 
still  more  ragged  ihan  you." 

"Well,  that  is  so;  you  shall  have  it,"  said 
the  lad. 

When  he  had  walked  on  a  while,  he  grew 
weary  again,  and  sat  down  to  rest.  Suddenly 
another  beggarman  stood  before  him,  and  this 


208        Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 

one  was  still  taller  and  uglier  than  the  first. 
When  the  lad  saw  how  very  tall  and  ugly  and 
long  he  was,  he  began  to  scream  again. 

"Now,  don't  you  be  afraid  of  me,"  said  the 
beggar,  "I'll  do  you  no  harm.  I  came  only 
to  beg  for  a  penny." 

"Oh  dear,  oh  dear!"  said  the  lad.  "  I  have 
only  two  pennies,  and  with  them  I  was  going 
to  the  town  to  buy  clothes.  If  I  had  only  met 
you  sooner,  then " 

"It's  worse  for  me  than  for  you,"  said  the 
beggarman.  "I  have  no  penny,  and  a  bigger 
body  and  less  clothing. ' ' 

"Well,  you  may  have  it,"  said  the  lad.  So 
he  went  away  farther,  till  he  got  weary,  and 
then  he  sat  down  to  rest;  but  he  had  scarcely 
sat  down  when  a  third  beggarman  came  to 
him.  This  one  was  so  tall  and  ugly  and  long 
that  the  lad  had  to  look  up  and  up,  right  up  to 
the  sky.  And  when  he  took  him  all  in  with  his 
eyes,  and  saw  how  very,  very  tall  and  ugly  and 
ragged  he  was,  he  fell  a-screeching  and 
screaming  again. 


The  hid  had  to  look  up,  right  up  into  the  sky 


Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle        211 

"Now,  don't  you  be  afraid  of  me,  my  lad," 
said  the  beggarman,  "I'll  do  you  no  harm,  for 
I  am  only  a  beggarman,  who  begs  you  for  a 
penny." 

"Oh  dear,  oh  dear!"  said  the  lad.  "I  have 
only  one  penny  left,  and  with  it  I  was  going  to 
the  town  to  buy  clothes.  If  I  had  only  met 
you  sooner,  then " 

"As  for  that,"  said  the  beggarman,  "I  have 
no  penny  at  all,  that  I  haven't,  and  a  bigger 
body  and  less  clothes,  so  it  is  worse  for  me 
than  for  you." 

"Yes,"  said  Little  Freddy,  "he  must  have 
the  penny  then — there  was  no  help  for  it ;  for 
so  each  beggarman  would  have  one  penny,  and 
he  would  have  nothing." 

"Well,"  said  the  beggarman,  "since  you 
have  such  a  good  heart  that  you  gave  away 
all  that  you  had  in  the  world,  I  will  give  you 
a  wish  for  each  penny. ' '  For  you  must  know 
it  was  the  same  beggarman  who  had  got  them 
all  three ;  he  had  only  changed  his  shape  each 
time,  that  the  lad  might  not  know  him  again. 


212        Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 

"I  have  always  had  such  a  longing  to  hear 
a  fiddle  go,  and  see  folk  so  merry  and  glad  that 
they  couldn't  help  dancing,"  said  the  lad; 
"and  so  if  I  may  wish  what  I  choose,  I  will 
wish  myself  such  a  fiddle,  that  everything  that 
has  life  must  dance  to  its  tune." 

"That  you  may  have,"  said  the  beggarman, 
"but  it  is  a  sorry  wish.  You  must  wish  some- 
thing better  for  the  other  two  pennies." 

"I  have  always  had  such  a  love  for  hunting 
and  shooting,"  said  Little  Freddy;  "so  if  I 
may  wish  what  I  choose,  I  will  wish  myself 
such  a  gun  that  I  shall  hit  everything  I  aim  at, 
were  it  ever  so  far  off." 

"That  you  may  have,"  said  the  beggarman, 
"but  it  is  a  sorry  wish  too.  You  must  wish 
better  for  the  last  penny." 

"I  have  always  had  a  longing  to  be  in  com- 
pany with  folks  who  were  kind  and  good," 
said  Little  Freddy;  "and  so,  if  I  could  get 
what  I  wish,  I  would  wish  it  to  be  so  that  no 
one  can  say  'Nay'  to  the  first  thing  I  ask." 

"That  wish  is  not  so   sorry,"  said  the  beg- 


Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle        213 

garman;  and  off  he  strode  between  the  hills, 
and  Freddy  saw  him  no  more. 

So  the  lad  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  the  next 
day  he  came  down  from  the  mountain  with  his 
fiddle  and  his  gun.  First  he  went  to  the  store- 
keeper and  asked  for  clothes.  Next  at  a  farm 
he  asked  for  a  horse,  and  at  a  second  for  a 
sleigh;  and  at  another  place  he  asked  for  a 
fur  coat.  No  one  said  him  "Nay" — even  the 
stingiest  folk  were  all  forced  to  give  him  what 
he  asked  for.  At  last  he  went  through  the 
country  as  a  fine  gentleman,  and  had  his  horse 
and  his  sleigh.  When  he  had  gone  a  bit  he  met 
the  sheriff  whose  servant  he  had  been. 

"Good  day,  master,"  said  Little  Freddy,  as 
he  pulled  up  and  took  off  his  hat. 

"Good  day,"  said  the  sheriff,  "but  when 
was  I  ever  your  master?" 

"Oh  yes,"  said  Little  Freddy,  "don't  you 
remember  how  I  served  you  three  years  for 
three  pence?" 

"My  goodness,  now!"  said  the  sheriff,  "you 


214        Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 

have  grown  rich  in  a  hurry,  and  pray,  how  was 
it  that  you  got  to  be  such  a  fine  gentleman V9 

"Oh,  that  is  a  long  story,"  said  Little 
Freddy. 

"And  are  you  so  full  of  fun  that  you  carry 
a  fiddle  about  with  you?"  asked  the  sheriff. 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  Freddy.  "I  have  always 
had  such  a  longing  to  get  folk  to  dance.  But 
the  funniest  thing  of  all  is  this  gun,  for  it 
brings  down  almost  anything  that  I  aim  at, 
however  far  it  may  be  off.  Do  you  see  that 
magpie  yonder,  sitting  in  the  spruce  fir? 
What  will  you  give  me  if  I  hit  it  as  we  stand 
here?" 

"Well,"  said  the  sheriff,  and  he  laughed 
when  he  said  it,  "I'll  give  you  all  the  money 
I  have  in  my  pocket,  and  I'll  go  and  fetch  it 
when  it  falls,"  for  he  never  thought  it  possible 
for  any  gun  to  carry  so  far. 

But  as  the  gun  went  off  down  fell  the  mag- 
pie, and  into  a  great  bramble  thicket;  and 
away  went  the  sheriff  up  into  the  bramble 
after  it,  and  he  picked  it  up  and  held  it  up  high 


Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle        215 

for  the  lad  to  see.  But  just  then  Little  Freddy 
began  to  play  his  fiddle,  and  the  sheriff  began 
to  dance,  and  the  thorns  to  tear  him;  but  still 
the  lad  played  on,  and  the  sheriff  danced,  and 
cried,  and  begged,  till  his  clothes  flew  to  tat- 
ters, and  he  scarce  had  a  thread  to  his  back. 

"Yes,"  said  Little  Freddy,  "now  I  think 
you're  about  as  ragged  as  I  was  when  I  left 
your  service;  so  now  you  may  get  off  with 
what  you  have." 

But  first  the  sheriff  had  to  pay  him  all  the 
money  that  he  had  in  his  pocket. 

So  when  the  lad  came  to  town  he  turned 
into  an  inn,  and  there  he  began  to  play,  and  all 
who  came  danced  and  laughed  and  were 
merry,  and  so  the  lad  lived  without  any  care, 
for  all  the  folks  liked  him  and  no  one  .would 
say  "Nay"  to  anything  he  asked. 

But  one  evening  just  as  they  were  all  in  the 
midst  of  their  fun,  up  came  the  watchmen  to 
drag  the  lad  off  to  the  town  hall ;  for  the  sheriff 
had  laid  a  charge  against  him,  and  said  he  had 
waylaid  him  and  robbed  him  and  nearly  taken 


216        Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 

his  life.  And  now  he  was  to  be  hanged.  The 
people  would  hear  of  nothing  else.  But  Little 
Freddy  had  a  cure  for  all  trouble,  and  that  was 
his  fiddle.  He  began  to  play  on  it,  and  the 
watchmen  fell  a-dancing  and  they  danced  and 
they  laughed  till  they  gasped  for  breath. 

So  soldiers  and  the  guard  were  sent  to  take 
him,  but  it  was  no  better  with  them  than  with 
the  watchmen.  When  Little  Freddy  played 
his  fiddle,  they  were  all  bound  to  dance;  and 
dance  as  long  as  he  could  lift  a  finger  to  play 
a  tune ;  but  they  were  half  dead  long  before  he 
was  tired. 

At  last  they  stole  a  march  on  him,  and  took 
him  while  he  lay  asleep  by  night.  Now  that 
they  had  caught  him  they  could  condemn  him 
to  be  hanged  on  the  spot,  and  away  they  hur- 
ried him  to  the  gallows  tree. 

There  a  great  crowd  of  people  flocked 
together  to  see  this  wonder,  and  the  sheriff  too 
was  there.  He  was  glad  to  get  even  at  last  for 
the  money  and  the  clothes  he  had  lost,  and  to 
see  the  lad  hanged  with  his  own  eyes. 


Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle        217 

And  here  came  Little  Freddy,  carrying  his 
fiddle  and  his  gun.  Slowly  he  mounted  the 
steps  of  the  gallows, — and  when  he  got  to  the 
top  he  sat  down,  and  asked  if  they  could  deny 
him  a  wish,  and  if  he  might  have  leave  to  do 
one  thing?  He  had  such  a  longing,  he  said,  to 
scrape  a  tune  and  play  a  bar  on  his  fiddle 
before  they  hanged  him. 

"No,  no,"  they  said;  "it  were  sin  and  shame 
to  deny  him  that."  For  you  know,  no  one 
could  say  "Nay"  to  what  he  asked. 

But  the  sheriff  begged  them  not  to  let  him 
have  leave  to  touch  a  string,  else  it  would  be 
all  over  with  them  altogether.  If  the  lad  got 
leave,  he  begged  them  to  bind  him  to  the  birch 
that  stood  there. 

Little  Freddy  was  not  slow  in  getting  his 
fiddle  to  speak,  and  all  that  were  there  fell 
a-dancing  at  once,  those  who  went  on  two  legs. 
and  those  who  went  on  four.  Both  the  dean 
and  the  parson,  the  lawyer  and  the  sheriff, 
masters  and  men,  dogs  and  pigs — they  all 
danced  and  laughed  and  barked  and  squealed 


218        Little  Freddy  with  His  Fiddle 

at  one  another.  Some  danced  till  they  lay 
down  and  gasped,  some  danced  till  they  fell  in 
a  swoon.  It  went  badly  with  all  of  them,  but 
worst  of  all  with  the  sheriff;  for  there  he  stood 
bound  to  the  birch,  and  he  danced  till  he 
scraped  the  clothes  off  his  back.  I  dare  say  it 
was  a  sorry  looking  sight  and  a  sore  back. 

But  there  was  not  one  of  them  who  thought 
of  doing  anything  to  Little  Freddy,  and  away 
he  went  with  his  fiddle  and  his  gun,  whither  he 
chose,  and  he  lived  merrily  and  happily  all  his 
days,  for  there  was  no  one  who  could  say 
4 'Nay"  to  the  first  thing  he  asked  for. 


4 


